What Could Have Been
by bbflabradors
Summary: Elizabeth and Jack met in their freshman year of college. Although they were relatively inseparable, they did not start officially dating until their sophomore year. Their plan...move to wherever Elizabeth is accepted for graduate school, with marriage on the horizon. That is until Jack experiences a devastating loss, and withdraws from everyone. Will his choices ruin everything?
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 1- Life's Choices  
**_

 ** _Ten years ago…_**

Elizabeth sat in the Student Center drinking a diet Coke and waiting on her hamburger when her childhood friend, LouAnn, walked inside with a rather handsome young man in tow.

LouAnn and Elizabeth had been friends since middle school, having met when they participated in the same school clubs. They had a standing joke between them as each one attempted to set up the other with dates, looking for the perfect match.

As LouAnn and her friend approached the table, Elizabeth's first thought was that she'd met nearly everyone on this small private Virginia college campus, but somehow he'd slipped by. She wasn't certain how, but one thing was for sure, she knew that she would have remembered him.

"Elizabeth, this is Jack Thornton…Jack, this is Elizabeth Thatcher," LouAnn completed the introductions before excusing herself and walking to the counter to order something to eat, effectively leaving them alone.

"You're welcome to take a seat, unless you have other plans," she offered, assuming that if he was dating someone, he would decline her offer.

Assuming she wouldn't have made the offer if she was dating someone, he replied, "I'd like to, thanks."

LouAnn stood by the counter observing their body language and patting herself on the back for an introduction well done.

From the moment Jack took a seat, there did not appear to be any awkward silence. They talked, laughed, and without specifically meaning to, they learned a great deal about each other.

They learned that each one was from Virginia Beach, but she attended Bayside High, while he was a soccer star at Kempsville. They both attended Salem Baptist Church, but with a usual attendance of 1000 or more people for each service, it was not unusual that they wouldn't have come across each other.

They were immediately smitten with each other. However, with school obligations and a responsibility to prove to their respective parents that living on campus was in fact the right decision and would not negatively impact their studies, initially they only saw each other at mealtimes. Whoever made it to the dining hall first would save a spot for the other.

During the breakfast meal, they each ate quickly, usually in a rush to make it to their morning class. However, dinner time was a different story. Every evening they sat at a table alone talking and laughing until the lights began to flicker. Jack walked Elizabeth back to her room every evening, making certain that she arrived safely.

"You know, you don't have to walk me back to my room every night. The campus is safe."

"Humor me, okay? I'd feel responsible if something happened to you and I could have prevented it."

Elizabeth smiled as they walked side by side down the hall to her room. Once there, she unlocked the door and slipped inside.

"See you in the morning," he stated.

"Okay, 7:30?" she asked.

"Yep, I'll meet you outside the dining hall."

"Thank you for walking me home."

"My pleasure."

The door closed and she leaned against it as he begrudgingly headed back to his dorm on the other side of campus.

Elizabeth made certain to be sitting in the stands for each of Jacks home soccer games, and even surprised him on several occasions when they played out of the area.

On Thursday nights, although they were not officially dating, they sat side by side watching movies in her dorm's social hall. This continued for several semesters with each one wanting something more, but neither one wanting to assume the risk if it affected their friendship.

By spring of their sophomore year Jack and Elizabeth decided that just being buddies was not enough. They began officially dating and their friends consistently remarked how surprised they were that it took them so long to get together.

Many of Elizabeth's friends considered them to be a "Match made in Heaven," which made Jack laugh, but concerned that they were jinxing their new found relationship it simply gave Elizabeth the "Kiss of Death" feeling.

Their junior year passed and as they entered their senior year, their relationship was still very close, with each one anticipating that marriage would be the ultimate goal. However, they both realized that at the age of 22, neither one was ready for that step. Although love was important, and each one had acknowledged their feelings for the other, they needed to live more and experience life before settling down.

Elizabeth applied to several graduate schools, with her heart being set on attending Northwestern University School of Journalism. With Jack planning to enter the criminal justice field, he was comfortable looking for employment in that field wherever her educational endeavors took them.

 _ **February before graduation…**_

"Jack," Elizabeth yelled as she ran across the courtyard, jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist.

After spinning completely around in a circle twice, he carefully placed her feet back on the ground, "Northwestern…I was accepted to Northwestern for graduate school."

"I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth."

As they sat down for dinner that evening, they discussed future plans. Jack was willing to pursue a job in Chicago so they could remain together. After all, that was the plan…the optimum word being…was.

Elizabeth and Jack scoured the internet seeking a place to live together that would provide two bedrooms, one for each of them. They were in love, but Elizabeth had expressed a desire to remain a virgin until marriage, hence the necessity for separate bedrooms.

Their plans took a complete turn when, in April, three weeks before graduation, Jack learned that his cousin, and truly his best friend, Lucas was killed while serving in Iraq.

Jack shut down, closing himself off from everyone; his family, his friends, even his Elizabeth.

Jack was devastated; he didn't show up for his final exams causing his classes to suffer, only passing his final semester by the grace of God.

On graduation day, Elizabeth went to his dorm room, dressed in her required white dress with her gown draped over her arm and her cap in her hand as she banged on his door. "Jack, please let me in. We don't have to talk; I just want to be with you…" She heard nothing inside, but knew he was there.

She leaned against the wall as her body slid down to the floor and she sat… waiting… hoping that he'd come outside, yet the door remained closed.

With the processional only moments away, she eventually left, running across the field as she pulled on her cap and gown, and breathlessly worked her way up to her place in line.

She felt her heart break just a bit more when Jack's name was called but he didn't appear. His diploma was simply placed on a table with several others to be mailed to the recipients at a later date.

Elizabeth assumed that at some point Jack would come to terms with his grief and although this experience would impact him for life, she was certain that he would come back to her. She quickly learned that she couldn't have been more wrong.

She cried over him more that she ever dreamed possible, subsequently moving on from sadness to anger and remaining there for quite some time. After all, it was his choice to leave; his choice to join the military following graduation, and it was his choice to break her heart.

She only received one letter from him which arrived just after he left, but she was so hurt that she never opened it, assuming it to be filled with "It's not you, it's me," "If we had met at a different time in our lives," and "I just want you to be happy" lines that truly meant nothing to her. The fact was he apparently didn't know her at all…for until he left, she was happy.

Elizabeth followed through with her original plan following graduation and in August, with her parents blessing, she packed up her car and headed for Chicago and the next chapter in her life.

She moved into an apartment that sadly she alone chose; a two bedroom in an older building across from Lake Michigan. With the additional bedroom, she subconsciously hoped he'd return to her. However, as time passed with no further correspondence from him, his return was seemingly less likely.

The view from her den window was beautiful; the commute, by train, to school was reasonable, and the new friends she made helped remove Jack from her present, leaving him where she felt he now belonged, in her past.

She did her best not to think of him, although she had to admit that there were times when a sound, song or scent brought him to mind. It angered her that he was still able to affect her mood, so she did her best to throw herself into school and social activities, even dating on occasion. However, any man she dated only lasted for a short while, usually no more than a month. To those who knew her best it was evident that no one seemed to measure up to Jack in her eyes.

On this crisp Friday morning as Elizabeth took a seat on the train, in the midst of a packed compartment, she suddenly felt alone. For what seemed like years they were supposed to begin this adventure together, now she was by herself, and at times she felt devastatingly alone.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her journal. Although she carried it everywhere, she hadn't added to the entries, or even opened its leather bound cover since he left. She didn't want to read her last entries, being fairly certain that her anger was strongly noted in her words.

She opened her journal and quickly flipped past her most recent entries, refusing to read her words from what she considered to be one of the worst periods in her life. She pulled a pen from her purse, and for the first time in months, she began to convey her feelings onto the paper…

" _ **I want to hate you, it would make getting over you so much easier, but I can't. I want to forget about you, forget about the fun times we had, forget about the love we felt, but I can't. I want to move on, I need to move on…realizing that you are no longer a part of my life, but sadly I can't. I need to let go, but my heart can't…won't and I somehow sit around waiting for the impossible to happen.**_

 _ **What I hate is that you treated me so kindly, so respectfully, so lovingly, encouraging me to fall for you when in fact, catching me was never your intention.**_

 _ **I know you aren't coming back. I know I'll never see you again and yet my heart breaks and the tears flow over feelings I can't seem to resolve. You were both the best and worst part of my life. I trusted you; I believed your words, but in the silence, your actions have spoken volumes. I just haven't come to grips with the fact that you were much more important to me than I apparently ever was to you.**_

 _ **I pray that you are safe, and that you have found peace. My hope is that you will find that special person, the one who will set your heart on fire…"**_

"Excuse me, are you okay?" the young woman sitting beside her asked.

"I've been better, but I'll be fine. Thank you for asking…"

She returned to her journal and the entry that seemed to write itself…

" _ **I pray that you are safe, and that you have found peace. My hope is that you will find that special person, the one who will set your heart on fire, and will be everything to you that I wanted to be, but wasn't.**_

 _ **Feelings of overwhelming sadness brought about by a fear of loss, leaves you numb, and often unable to rationalize the events that brought you to that point. Love, no matter what kind, family, friendship, or romantic should be a joyous feeling; not one where you are left with a sense of betrayal, a hurt so deep that you find it difficult to remember the good times. A shattered heart is much like a fractured rib…on the outside you see nothing but the smile I force, but on the inside, I feel broken beyond repair.**_

 _ **However, I do need to thank you… if nothing else you've shown me that my happiness cannot be placed in someone else's hands. I am the procurer of my own destiny and although this was a harsh lesson, I would never want you to be with me out of some sense of obligation.**_

 _ **Today is the day I turn the page; the past will remain behind me and I will look forward to the remainder of what my life's book has to offer. Goodbye…you know who you are!"**_

 _ **Afghanistan…**_

Jack finished boot camp and joined other soldiers from various branches of the military on his first deployment. He was embarrassed to admit but he was scared. Bombs and gunfire were heard regularly, and it wasn't uncommon to see victims, Middle East military personnel and civilians lying dead in the streets.

Most waking moments he was on edge waiting for the next "Incoming" alert, keeping his mind free of anything but necessary information. However, during quiet times, those times when you could even hear a pin drop into a pile of sand, he could see her face, and hear her begging him not to leave. Those were the times when he ached to be back with her and pieces of his heart seemed to peel away again.

Every young woman he saw brought back memories of Elizabeth and how he wished that he'd left under better terms. He wrote countless letters, but not knowing where she was he mailed them all to her family home. He heard nothing back, unaware that her father, angered that he'd broken his middle daughter's heart, lit them up and tossed them into the fire place. Jack incorrectly assumed that she wanted nothing more to do with him, so he, like her attempted to move on.

 _ **Five years ago…**_

Elizabeth sat in her apartment, eight miles away from campus, staring at herself in the mirror. This should be the most exciting day of her life thus far; unfortunately all she could muster were tears. She stood in her cap and gown, preparing to accept her Master's Degree in Journalism from Northwestern University, wondering with all the joy that was in her life, why she simply felt so empty.

She unzipped her gown, removed her cap, and slipped back into bed. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she realized that tomorrow would be another day, and the university could mail her the diploma.

Then she heard his words rushing in her ear and swirling around her head as if they had nowhere else to go, "I care about you, but it's time for us to move on."

 _ **Move on? What does that even mean? I thought we were planning to move on together…**_

Why those words still bothered her she wasn't sure. Why she even thought about them after all these years, she wondered even more. How could they go from being inseparable to being two independent people, and how was it that she never saw it coming?

She had done her best not to think about him and had even gone so far as to threaten disbarment of their friendship to any companion who mentioned his name. But now, on the cusp of her advanced degree graduation, she couldn't do anything but think of him.

She threw back the covers and slipped out of bed, grabbed her cap and gown and headed for the door, "I won't let him take this from me."

She pulled into the university parking lot, lucked into a space for her car and rushed to the student center to line up for the processional. With her parents proudly sitting in the audience, she forced a smile, accepted her diploma, and made the decision to go one with her life, as he had apparently decided to go on with his.

 _ **Two years ago…**_

It had been years since she'd seen him, and actually in this world of millions and millions of people, she didn't believe that she'd ever see him again. So, following her graduation from Northwestern University, she secluded herself in her family's cabin in the Charlottesville Mountains. The result, "What Could Have Been," was a bestselling 462 page manuscript, a piece of fiction that came very close to resembling her own life.

Maybe his leaving gave her the incentive to succeed, the heartbreak she needed to experience in order to write the love stories that people seemed to feel a part of. Each edition she completed felt as though her heart was again being ripped from her body as the feelings and emotions seemed to leave her raw, her chest open, ripe for the plucking and leaving her with little until the next installment was due.

 _ **One year ago…**_

Following the success of her first book, Elizabeth relaxed, spending time with friends and family. Her first book climbed quickly to the top of the New York Times Best Sellers List, and with book tours and signings, her time for relaxation was short lived.

Although Elizabeth was quite proud of her first book endeavor, she was disappointed that it was written under her penned persona, Halsey Woodrow. Unfortunately, unless you were in her close circle of friends, you'd have no idea that Elizabeth and Halsey were one in the same.

 _ **Six months ago…**_

"How is the last rewrite coming along?" Elizabeth's editor, Rosemary Coulter asked.

"I'm almost done and I decided on a title…"

"Okay, let me have it…"

"Where the Truth Lies…"

"I love it, and don't forget we have a meeting with the publishing company next Thursday. Will your rewrite be completed by then?" Rosemary asked.

"Absolutely; I'll see you in New York on Thursday."

"Hey Elizabeth, can you come into town on Wednesday and we'll have dinner?" Rosemary asked. "I haven't seen you for so long."

"I have nothing else going on…sure. I'll see you Wednesday."

On Wednesday morning, Elizabeth caught a flight out of Richmond International Airport, non-stop to JFK in New York City. There was a car waiting on her, taking her immediately to the Four Seasons Hotel, where she checked into the suite maintained by her publishing company, Phantom Books, for use by their clients.

Elizabeth was lying across the bed when her phone rang.

"Ms. Woodrow, we have a delivery here for you. Is it okay of we bring it up?" the front desk clerk asked.

"Sure; thank you…" she replied, somewhat puzzled by what the delivery could be.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on her door. As she opened it, there was a hotel employee holding a vase containing two dozen roses, half red, and half white.

"Oh my, please come in. You can set them down on the table," Elizabeth stated as she reached into her purse for a tip. "Thank you very much."

Elizabeth pulled the card from the pick in the middle of the arrangement. Opening the envelope she wasn't certain what to think…

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman. Halsey, you will one day be mine…"

Several hours later Rosemary arrived and immediately took the elevator up to Elizabeth's suite. "Oh my, someone has an admirer. Who are they from?"

"Well, I don't know, but it isn't someone I know. Here, look at the card; they called me Halsey…"

The smile initially covering Rosemary's face quickly disappeared, "Has anyone been following you?"

"Not that I know of, but you know me, I'm too busy enjoying the sunshine and fresh air that I don't pay attention to stuff like that."

Rosemary pulled out her phone, "You better start paying attention." She turned her attention to her phone call, "Hey, this is Rosemary Coulter; is Mr. Lancaster there?" she asked the Phantom Books receptionist.

"No, he just stepped out," she replied.

"Okay, well, I need to talk to him as soon as he gets back in, okay?"

"Sure, I will make sure he knows."

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"Are you that naïve?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Elizabeth, you just received flowers from someone and the card says that one day you will be theirs. It's not even you, it's Halsey, so they don't really know you, which means you most likely don't know them. Aren't you scared? Because if you aren't you should be."

"Well, it is kinda odd, but I'm sure it's nothing. Come on, let's go to dinner. Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked.

Not wanting to take her outside, Rosemary suggested that they go to "Cut," the Wolfgang Puck restaurant located inside the hotel.

"Sounds good."

Following their dinner, Rosemary asked for the check and was advised that the dinner was already covered.

"Excuse me, but who paid it?" Rosemary asked.

The waitress glanced over to the bar and stated, "Hmm, that's odd, he was right there."

"What did he look like?" Elizabeth asked.

"Um, his eyes were gorgeous…"

"Is that all you remember?" Rosemary inquired.

"Sorry, I'm kinda busy."

On their way back to the suite, Elizabeth joked, "Hmm, well if he's going to take care of all my bills maybe I should pick out a new Prada outfit."

"Are you seriously not scared?"

"I was just kidding about the Prada outfit, but I refuse to let someone scare me into submission. This is my life and thanks to someone in my past, I'm living it to the fullest."

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but you need to be careful; something isn't right here."

When Rosemary left Elizabeth's suite she advised, "Do not open this door to anyone. If someone comes here, call the front desk to make sure that they are who they say they are, okay?"

"Okay, I promise."

Early Thursday morning Rosemary was at Elizabeth's hotel room door.

Elizabeth grabbed her bag, opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

Rosemary stood in disbelief, "You didn't even ask who it was at the door."

"Because I knew it was you."

"Elizabeth, you are going to make this very hard on us, and way too easy for him. Please be careful."

"I'm sorry. I just find it hard to believe that someone is truly that infatuated with me. I'm sure he'll get tired of the game."

Phantom Books, hired several security teams to protect Elizabeth, but she kept turning their services away. Elizabeth felt like a caged animal, and refused to live with an armed guard constantly by her side.

She kept telling herself that no one would be looking for Elizabeth Thatcher. They would be seeking her alter ego, her penned persona, "Halsey Woodrow." Somehow that thought made her feel a bit safer.

 _ **One week ago…**_

Elizabeth sat at a table in the Barnes and Noble book store located in a large Dallas shopping mall signing copies of her latest best seller, "Where the Truth Lies." She'd taken one break after signing what felt like a thousand copies, and had just returned to her seat when a sealed envelope was found on the table, stuck between two copies of her book.

Without thinking, she ripped open the envelope and removed its contents. Opening up the sheet of paper she found a typed letter, the words frightening her to her core as she released the correspondence and watched it float to the floor.

Rosemary, observing Elizabeth's startled expression, and rushed over to her. Seeing the white piece of paper against the neutral tweed colored carpet, she picked it up and began to peruse the words.

Looking back at Elizabeth, she stated, "I don't care what you say; now you will have security and you will accept their services," a firm acknowledgement that Elizabeth begrudgingly accepted.

 _ **Present Day…**_

Elizabeth sat in her hotel room in San Francisco, feeling much like a prisoner in her own skin. It wasn't that long ago, but then again it felt like a lifetime since she had been able to walk down the street feeling safe. Was it him? Was it her? Was it more than one person or maybe even someone she knew? She never thought there would come a time when she'd need security to do what she loved…writing.

Apparently more anonymous letters had recently been received by the publishing company threatening "Halsey's" safety. Elizabeth initially laughed it off, chalking it up to a crazed fan or fans that were unable to distinguish fact from fiction.

However, there she was skeptical of everyone she met, and simply those she'd pass on the street, wondering when the next threat would arrive, and would it be in the form of a letter, or something more aggressive and physical.

Rosemary knocked on her hotel room door, "Who is it?" Elizabeth called out.

"It's me…"

The door opened and Rosemary slipped inside. "Hey, I know you don't like the idea of having security, but Mr. Lancaster is ordering it at this point. So, you can't turn it away anymore. He is sending someone over and I'm just telling you that you have no choice, so please just accept it."

Elizabeth walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, staring down at the street below. The knock on her door did nothing to jar her and she initially refused to turn away from the window.

Rosemary opened the door and invited the man inside. As he walked into the room he announced himself, "Hi, Miss Woodrow. My name is…"

Elizabeth turned around, "Jack…?"

"Elizabeth…?"

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2- Moving On, or Are We?

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 2- Moving On, or Are We?**_

 _ **Note: This chapter runs somewhat parallel to Chapter 1, filling in some of the gaps which will now bring us to the present.**_

 _ **Now on with our story…**_

 _ **Six Years Ago- College Graduation Day…**_

"Jack, please let me in. We don't have to talk; I just want to be with you…" She heard nothing inside, but felt certain that he was there. After all, where else would he go?

"Please let me know that you're okay…" Elizabeth called out again as she sat outside his dorm room, dressed in the required white dress for the graduation ceremony and praying that she wouldn't have to attend without him.

"Don't you remember telling me that together we could get through anything? Don't shut me out. I know you're hurting; let me help you get through this…" she continued to speak to the door, wishing it would open, but somehow the silence inside his dorm room actually felt deafening.

She walked down the hall and glanced out the window at the growing number of students lining up for the graduation processional. Realizing that she had a mere matter of moments to take her place in line, her empathy was beginning to mix with a slight bit of anger.

In the four years that they'd known each other, they had professed their love for each other, each one refusing to leave the other behind. She had held him when his father died, and he was willing to follow her to wherever she was accepted for graduate school with no questions asked. At least, that's what he told her. Now, with him pushing her away, that didn't appear too promising.

She walked back to his door, leaned in close and gave one more impassioned plea, "Jack, please… Since this happened, you've been pushing me away. I love you. I just want to help you. We don't even have to talk; I just want to be with you…"

Hearing nothing from inside his room she sadly turned away, left the dorm and raced across the field to the courtyard. With her last name starting with "T," her placement in line fell near the end. She barely managed to squeeze through the overzealous graduates, taking her place just before they walked out to their seats.

"Honey," Mrs. Thatcher whispered to her husband, "She looks so sad…"

"She's probably just nervous. You know she has never been comfortable being the center of attention," Mr. Thatcher responded as he reached over and took hold of her hand. "Don't worry; she has everything she's ever wanted…"

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Thatcher asked, seemingly puzzled.

"Well, she's graduating; she's been accepted at Northwestern for graduate school, and she and Jack are…oh wait, where's Jack?" he asked.

He glanced back at his wife, "What's wrong?"

"I promised that I wouldn't say anything, but she and Jack are having problems," she replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I promised her that I wouldn't."

"Honey, when it comes to the kids I thought we didn't keep secrets…"

"William, one of the reasons I didn't tell you was because she was hopeful that they'd work it out, but the main reason is that you tend to get very upset if you feel someone has hurt any of your girls and well, I just didn't say anything."

"Did they break up?"

"Not that I know of; he's just taken his cousin's death so hard."

"Yes, that had to be devastating to the family. We did send flowers, didn't we?"

"Yes, of course we did."

"So what's going on with them?"

"I don't know. Elizabeth has been busy with finals and we haven't spent any time together," Grace responded. "She did tell me that he won't talk to her; he seems secretive and is pushing her away. I hope you're right and she's just nervous. I'd hate to think that he not being here means that they're over."

Grace glanced over and observed William's pursed lips. "Honey, don't get upset; we need to let them work it out."

"Grace, he's not here; she looks sad, and I won't forgive him if he's broken her heart."

Following the ceremony, Elizabeth approached Jack's childhood friend, Lee, "Do you know why he didn't come?"

Lee released a harsh breath and pulled her away from the crowd, "I told him to talk to you before he left…"

"Before he left? Where did he go?"

"Elizabeth, it's not my place…"

"Lee, we're friends; I'm dying here, please tell me; did he go home?"

Lee swallowed hard, "Uh, no…he's in Richmond."

"Richmond? Why did he go to Richmond?" she asked, now feeling as though everything she'd thought about them as a couple was a lie.

"Elizabeth…"

"Lee, give me your phone," Elizabeth demanded as she held out her hand.

"Where's yours?" he asked as he handed over his phone.

"I've been calling him and he won't answer. He'll answer a call from you," she stated. Needing privacy, she walked alone out toward the soccer field, taking a seat in the bleachers.

She dialed his number, and took a deep breath as the call connected.

"Hey Lee, is it over?" Jack asked as he answered the call.

"I don't know Jack, are we?"

"E-Eliz-a-beth, I can't talk now."

"What's new? Jack, you haven't talked to me, really talked to me in weeks. What's going on? Why are you in Richmond?"

"Elizabeth, I'm leaving for Boot Camp."

"Boot Camp? What are you talking about?"

"I joined the Army, and I'm leaving today for Boot Camp."

"Where are you going?"

"Fort Leonard Wood…"

"Where is that? Is it near Chicago?" she asked, hoping that they would still be physically near each other.

"Elizabeth, it's in Missouri."

"Please don't go Jack; I mean, not like this. If you want to join the Army, I'll stand behind you, but don't runaway to do it."

"I'm not running away. I'm doing what I feel I have to do. I'd think you would understand that. After all, I was willing to give up everything I want to follow your dreams," as the words passed through his lips he realized how harsh, hurtful and untrue they sounded.

"I'm sorry Jack; I had no idea that you felt pushed to do something you didn't want to do. I wish you had said something."

He said nothing so she continued, "Jack…why are you leaving? Is this your misguided attempt to make up for not being able to save Lucas?"

"I need to finish what he started, Elizabeth."

"So you give up your life, what you want, what I thought we wanted to take on his dreams?"

"I'm sorry…"

"You're not sorry Jack. If you were you wouldn't have left without talking to me about it."

"Elizabeth, I care about you, but it's time for us to move on."

"Move on? What does that even mean? I thought we loved each other; I love you. Are you saying that you don't feel the same way?"

Jack felt as though his heart was about to explode in his chest. He hated to be the cause of the sadness that he so easily heard in her voice, but knew of no other way to end things. "Elizabeth, we're just heading in opposite directions in our lives now. You'll find someone better for you…"

"You can go to Hell, Jack…" were her last words to him as she ended the call.

Elizabeth returned to the celebration, somehow managing to slip back into the crowd without anyone but Lee knowing she was gone.

"Here…" Elizabeth stated as she handed Lee his phone.

"Did you guys talk?"

"There's no talking to him; I'm done," she stated as she wiped her eyes before walking over to the family section and finding her parents.

Hoping to find out what happened between them, Mr. Thatcher asked, "Where's Jack?"

"I don't know and he is not my concern any longer," she replied; the tone of her voice was filled with such anger that it startled both of her parents.

"Elizabeth, what's…"

"Daddy, before you ask, Jack and I are through, and I don't want to discuss it. Please, can we just leave?"

William took hold of Grace's hand as they followed Elizabeth out into the parking lot.

Elizabeth was initially uninterested in talking about Jack but as they pulled out of the parking lot she began rambling, "How can a man tell you that he loves you and then simply disappear as if you mean nothing? We had plans, but he's decided on his own that they aren't important any more…apparently I'm not important anymore. Well, he can go join the Army; I'm not waiting around for him."

Suddenly there was silence before sniffling could be heard in the back seat, "But then again, he said that we needed to move on. How do you do that when you've been with someone for four years? I just don't understand."

William reached over and took Grace's hand giving it a gentle squeeze. Through dating, marriage, raising three daughters, the good, the bad, and occasionally the very ugly, Grace knew William, almost better than she knew herself. Observing his expression, she could feel his mass of emotions, sadness, hurt, disappointment, anger, and probably more than anything else, a feeling of betrayal. She could only assume that Elizabeth was feeling much the same way.

 _ **Fort Leonard Wood- St. Robert, Missouri…**_

As days passed, Jack quickly realized that assuming his cousin's dreams was going to be a difficult task for many reasons. First, Lucas was practically born for a military career. From the time they were small children, Jack remembered the games they played; Lucas was always the General and heading to war, while Jack was more comfortable playing "Cops and Robbers." Secondly, Lucas was a traveler and as they entered their late teens and needed to think about their future, he always talked about joining the military and seeing the world. Jack, on the other hand enjoyed travelling, but talked more about protecting his local community by becoming a police officer. Thirdly, and for Jack the most important, was his loss of Elizabeth.

He couldn't expect her to wait around for him, especially since he'd made this decision without her in mind, not to mention the fact that he'd basically told her that they needed to move on. Sitting on his bunk in the empty barracks, he'd never felt so alone. He didn't know about her, but he realized that he didn't want to move on.

He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. As the call connected, he heard it ring once before switching to Elizabeth's voicemail…

"Hi, you've reached 757-460-1560, but I'm not available. If you'd like to leave a message, I'll call you back as soon as I'm done having fun…"

He pushed the button to end the call, unaware that she had blocked his number, as she was doing her best to do as he'd insisted; she had to move on.

"Having fun? Where did that message come from?" he whispered as he remembered her prior voicemail announcement simply stated that she'd call back as soon as possible. "Is she really having fun already?" Looking around the barracks, he had a bunk, a locker and one bag; he certainly wasn't having any fun.

Attempting to slow his breathing, he looked down at the floor feeling as though his heart was being ripped from his chest. He grabbed some paper and a pen and did what he'd seen her do for many years, express her feelings. Only this time he was attempting to express them in a letter to her…

 _ **Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **I know you didn't expect to hear from me, especially after our last conversation, but I need to tell you how sorry I am. I don't know what happened to me; I think I lost myself for awhile. I came here for the right reasons…no I didn't. I came here because I felt like I needed to in order to feel close to Lucas. But in doing so, I've lost you, the most important person in my life.**_

 _ **Elizabeth, you were everything to me, and I did the one thing I promised you I'd never do; I hurt you. I'm sorry that I pushed you away, and I know that I have no right to ask you this, but will you wait for me until I get home from Boot Camp and we can talk? Please give me a chance to explain…**_

 _ **I truly love you and I pray that you can find it in your heart to give us another chance,**_

 _ **Jack**_

One week passed. Elizabeth had heard nothing from Jack, but then again, he'd made it pretty clear that he was moving on without her, so she hadn't attempted to reach him either. Checking the mail one afternoon, amid the mass of correspondence for her parents, Elizabeth found a single letter addressed to her with the return address from "Fort Leonard Wood" in St. Robert, Missouri.

She walked back inside, dropped her parent's mail on the entryway table and continued upstairs to her room. She took a seat on her bed and continued to move the letter from one hand to the other, trying to decide whether or not to open it.

Her stomach was in knots as she thought back to her last conversation with Jack; how she begged him not to leave but how he so callously cast her aside. Again her sadness turned to anger and before she even realized it, his letter was in tiny pieces scattered about her carpeted floor.

She stared at the torn pieces of the last four years of her life. Feeling alone in a house full of people, she was doing her best to move on as Jack had suggested, but correspondence from him was not helpful.

Seeing ink marks on the tiny bits of paper as it littered her floor, but unable to make out the words, she could only assume that the letter consisted of meaningless proclamations such as "It's not you, it's me," "If we had met at a different time in our lives," and "I just want you to be happy."

"Alexa, play 94.9, The Point on …"

"Playing 94.9, The Point on ," was her automated response.

Listening to her favorite radio station, several upbeat songs played. With lyrics having nothing to do with love and loss she lay quietly with her head on her pillow. Then as if it were Karma for some bad act she'd unknowingly committed the song "Consequences" by Camila Cabello began playing as tears slipped from the outside of her eyes, eventually drenching her pillow…

 _ **Dirty tissues, trust issues  
Glasses on the sink, they didn't fix you  
Lonely pillows in a strangers bed  
Little voices in my head  
Secret keeping, stop the bleeding  
Lost a little weight because I wasn't eating  
All the souls that I can't listen to, to tell the truth**_

 _ **Loving you was young, and wild, and free  
Loving you was cool, and hot, and sweet  
Loving you was sunshine, safe and sound  
A steady place to let down my defenses  
But loving you had consequences**_

 _ **Hesitation, awkward conversation  
Running on low expectation  
Every siren that I was ignoring  
I'm payin' for it**_

 _ **Loving you was young, and wild, and free  
Loving you was cool, and hot, and sweet  
Loving you was sunshine, safe and sound  
A steady place to let down my defenses  
But loving you had consequences**_

 _ **Loving you was dumb, dark and cheap  
Loving you still takes shots at me  
Found loving you was sunshine, but then it poured  
And I lost so much more than my senses  
'Cause loving you had consequences**_

Elizabeth rolled onto her side, pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and prayed for this gut wrenching hurt to dissipate.

"Elizabeth, dinner's ready," her mother called out from the hallway.

"Thank you mom, but I'm not hungry," Elizabeth responded, her voice sounding weak.

Following a knock, the door opened, "Are you okay honey?" Observing Elizabeth wipe her eyes, Grace stepped into the room and took a seat on the bed. "What's all this?" she asked as she stepped over the littered paper on the floor.

"Jack sent me a letter."

"What did it say?"

"I don't know; I tore it up." Elizabeth inhaled deeply releasing a frustrated breath, "Mom, how do I get over him?"

Grace wrapped Elizabeth in a hug. She held her tight as she slowly began to rock back and forth. She wasn't certain why, but somehow the rocking movement always seems to calm Elizabeth as a toddler. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have the same effect on her in her twenties.

"Shh honey, I wish I could take this hurt away from you, but getting over him; are you sure that's what both of you want?"

"I love him, but it's evident that he didn't feel the same way…"

"Elizabeth, do you think maybe you should give him some time? He suffered a devastating loss."

"Mom, losing me should have been a devastating loss too, but yet he told me to move on, basically that's what he intended to do. So, if that's what he wants, I will."

Elizabeth pulled the covers away and slipped out of bed, "I'm going out."

"Where to?" Grace asked.

"Faith is having a party down at the beach. I just need to get out and have some fun."

Elizabeth pulled her hair up, grabbed her jacket, kissed her mom and headed for the door. "I won't be too late," she stated before disappearing down the hallway.

While driving to Faith's house, Elizabeth took a turn, parking by the beach. She needed to be with her friends; she needed to move on, but all she really wanted to do was sit in the sand and listen as the waves crashed onto the shore.

She felt the warm breeze softly blowing off the ocean as she looked out into the darkness. Realizing that a new chapter for her would begin in a few mere months, she told herself that pining for a lost love would serve no useful purpose.

Although she couldn't promise herself that she'd forget about him, she did make a pact on the full moon that she would do her best to comply with his wishes and move on.

 _ **Fort Leonard Wood- St. Robert, Missouri…**_

Days turned into weeks, and every Tuesday and Friday Jack was front and center for mail call. Although he was happy to have correspondence from his mom and brother, Tom, the letter he wanted to receive, from the person he was desperate to hear from never came.

Several days a week he sat on his bunk before "Lights out" and wrote impassioned pleas to Elizabeth for time; time to explain; time to forgive, and possibly time for a second chance. Each finished letter was placed in the mailbag, addressed to Elizabeth and sent to her parent's home with a prayer that she would respond.

Six weeks passed. The first three weeks, also known as the red phase, Jack received the all too familiar Army haircut, some basic tactical training, learned about biological, chemical and landmine defense as well as rappelling. The last of which was difficult for Jack as he'd never thought of himself scaling near vertically down the equivalent of a three story building. Jack also learned the core values of the Army: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. At the end of this phase, Jack was required to undergo a physical fitness test, which he easily passed.

He moved right into the white phase which consisted of rifle marksmanship, engagement skills, combat training, and sadly for Jack, more rappelling. During this time, they were encouraged to develop peer relationships, which helped to build rapport and trust.

During his first month and a half, Jack made friends with Robert Coleman, a 22 year old from Dallas, Texas. He was a high school graduate, but never pursued college, finally enlisting in the Army to help give his life some direction.

Jack and Robert developed a close kinship, a brotherhood of sorts. They shared secrets and discussed what they wanted in life, with Jack admitting that he'd like to do security work. Robert had shown his marksmanship proficiency and realized possibly that was his life's calling.

"What about a woman? Who's waiting for you back home?" Robert asked.

"Apparently I don't have anyone waiting for me," he stated as he filled in all of the blanks in his depressing story.

"Jack, call her; I mean, are you positive that she's gotten your letters?"

"I've sent them to her house. I can't imagine why she wouldn't have. I guess by not answering she's actually giving me an answer."

"I'm sorry Jack, but people always tell me that things happen for a reason. You know, when you least expect it, you will meet up with the woman of your dreams."

"I already met her and I pushed her away…"

"Come on, let's go get some dinner."

"You go ahead. I'm not hungry. I think I'll just stay here," Jack stated as he quickly found himself again alone with his thoughts in the empty barracks.

The final month of Boot Camp found Jack enmeshed in the blue phase where he received training in automatic weapons and hand grenades. Having passed all requirements, Jack, Robert, and 56 of the originally enlisted 75 recruits congregated for the "Rites of Passage" ceremony.

Jack was proud to have his family there for him, but it was evident that the one person he wanted to see was noticeably absent. Doing his best to put her out of his mind, he invited Robert to join his mom, brother and himself for dinner.

While sitting at the table in the restaurant, Charlotte was nervous. She looked at Jack and Robert, and although everyone did their best at small talk, the elephant remained in the room…"Jack, where are you going from here?"

Jack looked at Robert before glancing back at his mother, "Afghanistan…"

"When?" she hesitantly asked.

"We leave in 30 days," he replied.

"Do you get any time off before you leave?" she asked.

"Actually, we're off now. We have to report on August 27th," Jack responded.

"You are coming home, aren't you?" Charlotte's question came across much more like a demand. "You need to see Eliz…"

"Mom, stop… I've written Elizabeth and called her. She's moved on. I can't blame her. I told her that she needed to; I guess I just didn't think she'd do it so easily.

"When are you coming home?" Charlotte prodded.

Jack turned to Robert, "Are you going home? If not you can come home with me, right mom?"

"Charlotte glanced in Robert's direction, "Of course. I'd love to have you stay with us."

"Thank you, but I need to go home and see my parents before we leave."

"So when are you leaving?" Jack asked.

"I fly out on the 10th and back on the 26th."

"Okay, I'll stay until Robert leaves. I'll be home on the 10th."

Later that evening, Jack was one of twenty young men in the barracks and although many of them were spouting of their sexual escapades to the laughter and cheers of many of the others, Jack simply felt sad and lost. He had received his answer from Elizabeth in her lack of response to his letters, but he still felt that moving on would be easier if she accepted his apology.

As the cheers, jeers and laughter subsided Jack took his seat on his bunk and made his final attempt at a letter to get Elizabeth to see him…

 _ **Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **It's been so long since I've seen you. In the past four years, I think I can count on one hand the number of times that we went for more than a day without seeing each other. I hope you're well.**_

 _ **I passed Boot Camp, and I'm heading to Afghanistan in a month, so I don't know when I'll get another chance to see you. I know that you've moved on, and I do understand, but would you meet me for dinner before I leave? I have a few things I need to say to you.**_

 _ **Please Elizabeth; you owe me nothing, and you may not need this, but I do,**_

 _ **Jack**_

As he had done with all of the previous letters he'd written Elizabeth, he placed it in the mailbag addressed to her at her parent's home.

 _ **Virginia Beach, Virginia…  
**_  
"William, its 85 degrees outside; why do you have a fire burning?" Grace asked her husband as she entered his office and found him standing in front of the fireplace.

Startled, he spun around as she observed an envelope erupt in flames when it hit the roaring fire, "Just taking care of business."

"What business do you have that requires burning correspondence?"

He walked back to his desk and took a seat, "I'm just taking care of Elizabeth."

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she took her own seat across from him.

"You know how hard it was on her when Jack left; he broke her heart, and seeing how it affected her, it broke mine as well."

"I never saw it coming, and she was devastated, but 'taking care of Elizabeth,' what do you mean?" she asked; knowing his prior episodes of subterfuge, she was concerned.

He simply looked in her eyes…

"William, what were you burning?"

"A letter from Jack."

"A letter? It's been months with nothing; no calls, no contact, and now a letter, why?" she asked as she glanced back at the fire.

Before he could answer, she looked back at William, "Why did you destroy it? You should have sent it to Elizabeth and let her make the decision."

"Grace, she's moved on. She has new friends, and she's even dating again. She doesn't need anything to bring up her past hurt."

"William, I'd hardly say that going out with a group of friends would constitute dating," she responded.

"Maybe not, but at least she's going out. She needs to be able to focus on school and bringing up Jack won't allow her to do that," he stated firmly.

"William, this isn't the only letter you've burned, is it?" she asked as her eyes began to burn right through him.

"Grace, I'm doing what I think is best for Elizabeth."

"William, you're wrong. Elizabeth should know that he's written her. If you don't tell her, I will…"

"I'm doing what I think is right, and I'd appreciate you backing me up on this."

Grace stood up and walked toward the door, "You're wrong William. You can't play God with our girls' lives. It's wrong…"

She walked to the den and grabbed her phone from the table, immediately punching #3 to be connected with Elizabeth.

"Hey mom, are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.

"I…I just wanted to see how you're settling in."

"My apartment is really nice. I have a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. Oh, and I signed up for my classes; I'm finally excited about something mom."

"What about Jack?"

"What about him? He left me; I asked him to stay or at least to talk to me and he said that I needed to move on. Mom, I'm doing my best to do just that, so please, don't bring his name up."

"But Elizabeth…"

"No mom; Jack and I are done…"

"Well honey, if you're sure."

"I'm sure mom. So, when are you coming to Chicago to visit me?"

"Once you look at your schedule, we'll work something out, okay?"

"Sounds good mom; I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart."

 _ **Chicago; Illinois…  
**_  
Once the call ended, Elizabeth sat on her sofa and cried. As much as she professed that she didn't want to hear Jack's name and that they "were done," it still hurt and she couldn't help but to wish for what once was.

Elizabeth pulled her journal from the table, flipping it immediately to the next blank page where she attempted to unburden herself of the negative feelings and emotions she was experiencing…

" _ **Tears fall; they wash over me, attempting to remove the sadness that has become my way of life. I smile, but much like a clown, you have no idea how shattered I feel on the inside.**_

 _ **Pain, heartache, confusion and disappointment, a harsh reality designed to make me strong, pushing me to fight through the sadness, seeking my once happy self. The heartbreak I've experienced will hopefully make me wiser, no longer willing to accept things on face value, as I now realize that I can truly only trust myself. My heart will survive and my life will go on. Things do happen for a reason, and maybe now I guess I've learned that I should thank you and my past for the possibility of a less painful future…"**_

She had done her best to push memories of him from her mind, hating that the joy she experienced during their four years together was now overshadowed by the broken pieces he had so callously left behind.

Hearing her phone ring, she answered, "Hey Parker."

"Elizabeth, I'm with Carly and Amber and we were thinking about hitting Sidekicks for some karaoke and we're swinging by to get you."

"Thanks but I don't really feel like it tonight."

Carly grabbed the phone, "Girl, the best way to get over a guy is to find a guy."

"Well, I'm not interested in finding a guy, but I'll come out for a little while."

While sitting at a table, Parker picked up Elizabeth's phone, "Hey, this guy…where is he?" she asked while going through pictures that included Jack on Instagram.

"We aren't together anymore."

Carly put her drink down, "Well, that's obvious, but why do you still have those pictures on your account. Don't you know you that when you break up with someone you take their pictures off of your social media accounts?"

"Come on, let's delete them…" Amber suggested.

"I really don't want to," Elizabeth stated as she pulled her phone away.

"Are you getting back together with him?" Parker asked.

"No…"

"Do you think you two can be friends?" Amber asked.

"No…"

"Can you look at the pictures without crying?" Carly asked.

"No…"

With all four women looking at her phone, Elizabeth pulled up her Instagram page and one by one the pictures from better times of her and Jack as friends and then as a couple disappeared from her account.

 _ **August 13**_ _ **th**_ _ **\- Virginia Beach, Virginia…**_

"Hello Mr. Thatcher," Jack stated as the front door to Elizabeth's childhood home opened.

"Jack; I must say, I'm a bit surprised to see you here."

"I know you're upset with me, but I need to see Elizabeth…please."

"She's not here," Mr. Thatcher responded as he turned around to make certain he was alone. "Jack, do you remember the plans you two had?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, Elizabeth was devastated when you left. You broke her heart; something you promised me that you'd never do."

Feeling his eyes water, Jack looked away, "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You told her to move on, and she's managed to do that. She's in school, and she's even started dating again," his last statement wasn't true, but he was hoping to make a point. "Please, just leave her alone."

Jack turned around to leave. He'd only made it down the first three steps when he turned back around, "I sent her quite a few letters. Do you know if she got them?"

"They arrived, Jack. Please, take your own advice and move on…" Mr. Thatcher stated as he stepped back inside and closed the door leaving Jack standing on the steps barely able to move.

Jack returned to his childhood home, locked himself in his bedroom, put on his headphones and told himself that his direction in life would come from the music that played on the stereo.

Many of the lyrics didn't make sense to him or seem to fit his situation. That was until the Dean Lewis song "Be Alright" took its turn on the airwaves…

 _ **I look up from the ground  
To see your sad and teary eyes  
You look away from me  
And I see there's something you're trying to hide  
And I reach for your hand but it's cold  
You pull away again  
And I wonder what's on your mind  
And then you say to me you made a dumb mistake  
You start to tremble and your voice begins to break  
You say the cigarettes on the counter weren't your friends  
They were my mates  
And I feel the color draining from my face**_

 _ **And my friend said  
"I know you love her, but it's over, mate  
It doesn't matter, put the phone away  
It's never easy to walk away, let her go  
It'll be alright"**_

 _ **So I still look back at all the messages you'd sent  
And I know it wasn't right, but it was messing with my head  
And everything deleted like the past, it was gone  
And when I touched your face, I could tell you're moving on  
But it's not the fact that you kissed him yesterday  
It's the feeling of betrayal, that I just can't seem to shake  
And everything I know tells me that I should walk away  
But I just want to stay**_

 _ **And my friend said  
"I know you love her, but it's over, mate  
It doesn't matter, put the phone away  
It's never easy to walk away, let her go  
It'll be okay  
It's gonna hurt for a bit of time  
So bottoms up, let's forget tonight  
You'll find another and you'll be just fine  
Let her go"**_

 _ **But nothing heals the past like time  
And they can't steal  
The love you're born to find  
But nothing heals the past like time  
And they can't steal  
The love you're born to find**_

 _ **"I know you love her, but it's over, mate  
It doesn't matter, put the phone away  
It's never easy to walk away, let her go  
It'll be okay  
It's gonna hurt for a bit of time  
So bottoms up, let's forget tonight  
You'll find another and you'll be just fine  
Let her go**_

 _ **It'll be alright"  
**_

Realizing that his life would not end up as he'd anticipated, he viewed this as his sign to move on. Jack removed her number from his phone and observing that there was no longer any sign of him on her Instagram page, he deleted the pictures he had previously posted of them together on social media. Essentially, from this point on, there was no indication that they had ever known one another, let alone been in love.

 _ **Afghanistan…**_

Jack served four years of active duty, during which he completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Although Jack hated to admit it, he was scared during his first tour. Bombs and gunfire seemed to be an everyday occurrence, and it wasn't uncommon to see military and civilians casualties.

During his second tour, Jack was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for risking his own safety to pull a wounded Army brother from the line of fire.

 _ **San Francisco- Two Years Ago…**_

With the remainder of his eight year obligation being required through the Reserves, Jack moved to San Francisco to begin a new career in protection services.

Thornton Protection, Inc. developed a powerful name in the few years that he had been in operation. Hollywood elite were known to hire Jack's company, requesting his personal assistance in stalking cases or other safety matters. On several occasions, Jack's sleuthing and determination led to arrests before violence, though threatened could be acted upon.

Robert, Jack's Army brother from Boot Camp, separated from the military and accepted Jack's offer for employment, moving to the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and one year old daughter, Julia.

 _ **Present Day…**_

"Thornton Protection, this is Baylee; how may I help you?" the company secretary stated as she answered the phone.

"I need to speak to Jack Thornton; my name is James Lancaster, I'm president of Phantom Books."

"Mr. Lancaster, Mr. Thornton isn't in the office, but he's due back shortly. May I take a message?" Baylee offered.

"Yes, please ask him to call me back. My number is 312-837-2271."

"I will make certain he gets the message as soon as he gets back."

Thirty minutes later, Jack walked in the door with Robert. Baylee was on another call as they walked by toward his office.

"Jack," Baylee called out after hanging up the phone, catching Jack and Robert before they disappeared down the hall.

Jack walked back, and Baylee handed him the message, "This man is expecting a call."

"Baylee, we're swamped now. I just don't think I can take on another case right now," Jack stated as he walked back toward his office.

"I promised that you'd call him…"

"I will."

Jack sat in his office with Robert as they discussed their current caseload. "I just don't think I can take on another case."

"Well, call him and see what he has to say…"

Jack pulled out his phone and dialed Mr. Lancaster's private number. "Mr. Lancaster, my name is Jack Thornton, and I understand that you needed to speak with me."

"Thank you Mr. Thornton. I'm the president of Phantom Books. We're based in Chicago, but I understand that although you are in San Francisco, you will travel. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir, but truthfully, I don't know that I can take on any new cases right now, but I can refer you to another company."

"Mr. Thornton, I want you…not someone who works for you or a friend of yours. You come highly recommended, and the person I need you to protect is very important."

"With all due respect, Mr. Lancaster, they're all important."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to imply that they weren't. But Halsey is very special to our company."

"Halsey?"

"Halsey Woodrow, she's a bestselling author, and she has a stalker."

"Can you tell be something about her?"

"She's 28 years old, and has two bestselling books; oh she's beautiful and single if that will help you make up your mind."

"Mr. Lancaster, I don't become involved with the individuals that I'm protecting. So that truly has no impact on my decision to take or turn down a case. Could you tell me what's going on, why you feel you need protection for Ms. Woodrow?"

"She is a gifted writer, and truly when her first book was published, her popularity soared; with this second book, it's skyrocketed. But along with that come the crazies."

Mr. Lancaster continued, "She lives in Chicago, but is currently on a book tour and is actually in San Francisco for a few days. She's received a few threatening letters, but some letters have also been sent to our office."

"What is the content of these letters?" Jack asked.

"Halsey writes romance novels, but actually they could easily be real life. She has a gift of writing so that the reader can see the scene unfold right before their eyes. The letters basically say how he loves her and that they were meant to be together. He usually ends the letter by saying that he'll wait until the time is right, and then he signs it, 'Your Biggest Fan.'"

Mr. Lancaster continued, "On one occasion, Halsey took a break during a book signing engagement and when she came back there was an envelope placed between the stack of books. Initially she didn't think anything of it, but when she opened it, the letter began by saying how much they loved her book. The compliment was nice, but then it continued to say, 'but the black dress you're wearing looks like something I'd bury you in. I personally prefer the deep blue dress you wore out to dinner the other night.' It frightened her because I think she finally got the message that this person means business; she realized that without protection, people had the ability to get close to her, possibly too close."

"I can't guarantee anything Mr. Lancaster, but I will go talk to her. Where is she staying?"

"She is at the Fairmont Heritage Place at Fisherman's Wharf," Mr. Lancaster advised.

 _ **Fairmont Heritage Place…**_

Elizabeth sat in her hotel room in San Francisco, feeling much like a prisoner in her own skin. It wasn't that long ago, but then again it felt like a lifetime since she had been able to walk down the street feeling safe. Was it him? Was it her? Was it more than one person or maybe even someone she knew? She never thought there would come a time when she'd need security to do what she loved…write.

Apparently more anonymous letters had recently been received by the publishing company threatening "Halsey's" safety. Elizabeth initially laughed it off, chalking it up to a crazed fan or fans that were unable to distinguish fact from fiction.

However, there she was skeptical of everyone she met, and simply those she'd pass on the street, wondering when the next threat would arrive, and would it be in the form of a letter, or something more aggressive and physical.

Rosemary knocked on her hotel room door, "Who is it?" Elizabeth called out.

"It's me…"

The door opened and Rosemary slipped inside. "Hey, I know you don't like the idea of having security, but Mr. Lancaster is ordering it at this point. So, you can't turn it away anymore. He is sending someone over and I'm just telling you that you have no choice, so please just accept it."

Elizabeth walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, staring down at the street below. The knock on her door did nothing to jar her and she initially refused to turn away from the window.

Rosemary opened the door and invited the man inside. As he walked into the room he announced himself, "Hi, Miss Woodrow. My name is…"

Elizabeth turned around, "Jack…?"

"Elizabeth…?"

They stood facing each other, initially silent, that was until Elizabeth spoke, "Rosemary, I'm sorry but this just won't do. I'd rather be alone…" she stated before storming off to her bedroom.

Rosemary turned to Jack, "I'm sorry Mr. Thornton, Halsey is adamant about not wanting a bodyguard, and to be honest, she is being a bit difficult about it."

"I really don't think I'm the one for the job, but I can make a referral to another company," Jack stated as he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the table and nervously scribbled out the information. "Call this number; Anderson is top notch," Jack stated as he glanced toward Elizabeth's bedroom before heading toward the door.

"Wait, please. Mr. Lancaster said that you were the best. Halsey is very important to the company; she's important to all of us. I thought she'd finally agreed that she needed protection. Mr. Thornton, please stay right here and let me go talk to her."

Rosemary headed for the hallway but stopped short. She turned back around, "Wait, you called her Elizabeth…you're the guy who broke her heart, aren't you?"

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3- Water Under the Bridge

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 3- Water Under the Bridge**_

Rosemary headed for the hallway but stopped short. She turned back around, "Wait, you called her Elizabeth…you're the guy who broke her heart, aren't you?"

"Ms…"

"Leveaux…Rosemary Leveaux."

"Ms. Leveaux, I really don't think this is a good idea. The person I protect has to completely trust me, and well you can see Elizabeth doesn't want me here."

"Mr. Thornton, I'm not asking you to date her; I'm asking to you keep her safe."

"Ms. Leveaux, I believe that Anderson would be your better choice."

"What happened between you two?"

"It's nothing…"

Based on Elizabeth's reaction, she believed otherwise. "Please, just wait here for a few minutes and let me talk to her. Mr. Lancaster really wants your company…no, to be completely honest, he really wants you for the job."

"Well, I mean no disrespect, but I'm certain that Mr. Lancaster is old enough to know that he can't always get what he wants."

"I'm sure he's old enough, but truthfully, he generally gets what he wants."

"Not this time, Ms. Leveaux. Call Anderson…"

"Please, wait; let me talk to her before you go…"

Jack said nothing further but shook his head up and down in acknowledgement.

Rosemary walked down the hall and knocked on Elizabeth's door. "Elizabeth, may I come in?"

Elizabeth's voice was soft and muffled, and although Rosemary couldn't understand her, she opened the door anyway.

"Elizabeth…" Rosemary called out as she stepped into the large room, finding Elizabeth sitting on her bed holding her pillow tightly to her chest.

Elizabeth turned her head to face Rosemary, "Please don't ask me to do this. I promise I'll take the next company you choose."

"Well, first of all, you've told Mr. Lancaster that before. He wants Mr. Thornton."

"But I don't. Doesn't what I want matter?"

"Of course it does," Rosemary stated as she took a deep breath before taking a seat beside Elizabeth. "We've been friends for several years now, and we've spent a great deal of time together. Can't you confide in me? How do you know Mr. Thornton? What happened between you two?""

"It's nothing…" Elizabeth stated as her voice wavered and eyes watered.

That vision took Rosemary back several years ago when she first met Elizabeth. On that occasion, Rosemary walked into the meeting room at Phantom Books, observing a young impressionable young woman, a few years younger than she staring out the window onto the busy streets of Chicago. Sadly, even with the excitement of a new book contract, the masses of employees in the building and those Chicagoans down below, she looked alone, lost and scared.

Assigned as Elizabeth's book editor upon her first submission of "What Could Have Been," Rosemary immediately felt close to the young author. The two women forged a deep friendship based not only on work but by their honest emotional feelings for each other. They'd spent countless hours talking about their childhood, families, education and dreams for the future. However, Rosemary always felt that there were some topics that Elizabeth clearly held close to her chest, either unwilling or unable to discuss them.

As their friendship developed, Rosemary noticed that anytime the topic of love was brought up, Elizabeth seemed to either shut down or quickly change the subject. At the time, Rosemary didn't understand her hesitancy. Based on her reaction to seeing Jack, and the flurry of emotions that she was now experiencing, Rosemary felt certain that he held the key to the past that Elizabeth refused to divulge.

Seeing her emotionally torn over Jack's arrival fed the thoughts Rosemary had experienced since initially reading Elizabeth's first manuscript that somehow portions, if not all were autobiographical.

"What Could Have Been" was a story of two people, a man and a woman who fell in love only to be ripped apart by lies, familial obligations, and misguided intentions. From cover to cover the story was replete with passion, angst, sadness, disappointment and rediscovery, initially leaving an opening for the two main characters, Charlotte and Thorne, to reunite. However, on the final page the female character summed up their relationship with the following…

" _ **We fight the words, never wanting to say 'Goodbye.' Sadly, not all relationships are meant to succeed, but they are intended to teach us valuable lessons. Whether we are prepared or willing to listen and learn remains to be seen.**_

 _ **When someone becomes your world, your entire universe, the loss of that connection hits hard; a tornado of emotions which leaves you in pieces, never to fit together again in the same way. The 'what ifs,' will remain a mystery; the 'things I didn't say' will remain locked inside, and the regrets will forever haunt you.**_

 _ **Sadly, the hardest part about losing someone so close to you is realizing that you will have to live without them from this point forward. We do our best to fill the void, that nagging hole in our heart when they walked away, yet the emptiness remains.**_

 _ **Goodbyes are difficult, impossible at times, especially when the story had so much more to tell. You will forever be the most beautiful, yet heartbreaking chapter in my life. Unfortunately, some stories end all too soon as the final page to this chapter in my life is finished and the book will now be closed forever."**_

Concerned for her friend, and realizing that this emotional upheaval may have an impact on Elizabeth's writing she asked, "You say it's nothing, but I suspect it's very much something. He's the one who broke your heart, isn't he?"

"Broke my heart? I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened between us; I just don't want someone I know protecting me," Elizabeth was firm and quite adamant as she stood up and began to pace the floor.

She stopped pacing and turned to face Rosemary, "Besides, it would be uncomfortable for my boyfriend to have to spend time with my…"

"With your what?" Rosemary prodded. "Please talk to me; I really think there's more going on here."

"It's nothing; please just drop it."

"I will for now, but as for Mr. Thornton being your bodyguard, he declined the offer, so you very well may get your wish."

"May get my wish?"

"He turned down the job, but you know Mr. Lancaster; he usually gets what he wants."

"Jack does too, or he simply walks away without giving it a second thought. Either way I don't think he'll be my bodyguard."

Rosemary's expression softened, "Elizabeth, just know that I'm here to listen. After all we're good friends, right?"

"You're the best, but really, there isn't anything to say." Elizabeth quickly changed the subject, "Do you mind giving me some time to get ready for my date?"

"Of course not. Where is Aiden taking you?"

"I'm not sure, but it's our one year anniversary, so knowing Aiden as I do, he'll do something special," Elizabeth stated as she pulled a dress from her closet and held it up to her body while she stood in front of the mirror.

"Elizabeth, that's beautiful," Rosemary stated before leaving the bedroom and heading back to the living room.

"Mr. Thornton," Rosemary called out as she entered the living area to find Jack missing. "Mr. Thornton," she stepped out onto the deck finding nothing but empty furniture.

Hearing Rosemary calling Jack's name, but receiving no response, Elizabeth stepped out of her room. "Where did he go?" Elizabeth asked as she walked toward the French doors leading out onto the deck and to Rosemary who was standing on the balcony.

"I don't know; he just left…I asked him to stay…"

"Well, I can see that some things never change," Elizabeth remarked as she walked back inside and slumped down on the sofa. "What's this?" Elizabeth reached for a card on the table.

"Call Anderson, (415) 922-1738…" was the only writing on the card.

****************  
Jack's knees wobbled as he entered the elevator. He leaned up against the wall holding on to the railing, unaware that seeing her again after all these years would have the effect on him that it did.

Jack felt the air being sucked from his body, finding it difficult to catch his breath. They hadn't seen each other in over six years, and she caught him off guard just as she had on that first occasion when they met in the Student Center at college. He quickly realized that it was his choice to leave her and since she never responded to any of his letters, he could only assume that she wanted nothing to do with him.

 _ **Refusing this job is the best decision for both of us. Besides, if she isn't already married, I'm sure she has a boyfriend. It won't work being that close to her. Anderson will keep her safe.**_

Thinking that he had put his college years behind him, and also managed to push the memories of Elizabeth to the deep recesses of his mind, the pounding of his heart and the tearing of his eyes surprised him, telling him otherwise. He noted that she simply looked angry, so he could only assume that seeing him again did not bring up any of the old warm and fuzzy feelings they once shared.

She was still as beautiful as the first day he'd met her, and when she looked at him, shocked and surprised after all these years, he saw her blue eyes, so striking and soulful, and knew that they held the hurt he'd dealt her. It was ironic that he'd encouraged her to move on, yet as they came face to face, he quickly realized that he had been unable to do so.

Jack dated, but always seemed to find a reason why the relationship wouldn't work. Most times the women knew that he wasn't feeling anything more for them than friendship and they amicably separated. Jack always wondered why the feeling of loss didn't strike him when they'd go their separate ways. However, on this occasion, he felt as though it was again Graduation Day and she'd just told him to "Go to Hell."

Just as Jack's subsequent relationships went literally nowhere, Elizabeth had her choice of eligible men who fancied her, but she never seemed overly enthusiastic with any of the men she dated. The "coupledom" only lasted for a few dates before she'd make up an excuse to end the budding relationship. That was until she began dating Aiden Prescott, the very successful computer software company executive.

Aiden never held his feelings inside, making certain that Elizabeth knew how he felt after only six months of dating. As she traveled from book signing to book signing, he often followed along, with some people in the publishing company commenting that he was much like a lost puppy dog without her.

Outside in the hotel's parking garage, Jack took a seat behind the wheel of his car as his mind started to spin and his years with Elizabeth began to flash before his eyes. He slammed his hand down on the dashboard, angry at himself for not pushing to see her years ago; how he'd left it up to letters to explain what was in his heart and how he should have said those things in person.

He grabbed the keys from the ignition, exited the car and headed back toward the lobby of the hotel… _ **Anderson is good at what he does, but I'm better!**_

Attempting to change the subject, Rosemary asked, "Elizabeth, what time is Aiden supposed to be here?"

"He should be here in about 30 minutes. He flew out here to spend tonight with me. It's our anniversary, did you know that?"

"Really? It's been a year already?" Rosemary remarked.

"I know; well it's lasted longer than any of my other relationships except…"

"Except who?" Rosemary asked, but a knock on the hotel room door drew her away from the conversation.

"Tell Aiden that he's early and I'll be ready soon."

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth stepped down the hall, talking before she reached the living area, "You're early, so you can't tease me about taking too long to get ready."

She grabbed her purse from the entryway table and glanced into the room. Surprised to see Jack in her room she asked, "What are you doing back?"

"WOW, you look beautiful." Jack couldn't help taking her all in. He was captivated, from her hair pulled up on the sides with pearl clips to the flowing red dress she wore that was longer in the back and shorter in the front showing off her shapely tanned, uncovered legs and all the way down to her open toed shoes which provided a glimpse of her perfect pedicure.

"You left Jack, so why are you back?" Elizabeth asked; her tone was curt and meaning to be hurtful.

"I truly felt that Anderson would be the perfect man for the job…"

"I agree," Elizabeth blurted out.

"Elizabeth you don't even know this Anderson guy," Rosemary turned and responded into the middle of the room.

"I just don't think this…us is going to work," Elizabeth remarked as her hands motioned back and forth between her and Jack.

"We're not an 'us' Elizabeth," Jack reminded her.

"I know Jack, and that's not what I meant. I just meant you being around here wasn't going to work. It's uncomfortable and I won't do that to Aiden?"

"Aiden?"

"My boyfriend."

"Oh, I see; how long have you been dating?"

Elizabeth looked down. She took a breath and as her eyes moved up Jack's body her thoughts immediately shifted to a better time when they meant the world to each other. She then caught the second hand on the wall clock next to Jack, concentrating on that as she answered, "I don't think it's any of your business, but if it is important to you, we've been together for a year."

"Well, it's important to me because I need to know everything about you in order to protect you."

"Jack, we'll call Anderson. I think that would be better for all of us," Elizabeth commented, her voice sounding firm and unwavering.

Jack approached her, "Anderson is good, but I'm better, so I'm taking the job."

"Jack, please don't go out of your way; I'm sure we can find someone else."

Not knowing the background but feeling quite certain that there was one between them, Rosemary fibbed slightly, "Elizabeth, I've already spoken with Mr. Lancaster; Mr. Thornton is hired."

"You just came out here; when did you talk with Mr. Lancaster?" Elizabeth inquired.

"I told you before that he gets what he wants. I just assumed that with Mr. Thornton turning down the job, we'd have to call Anderson. Since he's changed his mind, you have to go with him," Rosemary stated as a matter of fact. "Besides, Mr. Lancaster has been kind enough to try out different companies, all of which you've turned down. Your contract states that you will allow protective services as deemed necessary by the publisher."

"I know, but this…him…come on; it's not going to work."

"Elizabeth, in this case Mr. Lancaster is the publisher and he wants Mr. Thornton," Rosemary directed her comment toward Elizabeth before turning back to Jack, "Thank you for everything. Let us know what we can do to help."

As Elizabeth contemplated this new situation, there was a knock on the door. She started for the door, just as Jack jumped up, "I'll get it."

As the door opened, Jack stood in the room while Aiden remained in the hallway. Both men; one previously in love with Elizabeth, and the other one hoping that this evening would secure his future with her, met face to face.

"Who are you?" Aiden asked.

"I'm Jack Thornton, and you are?"

"Aiden…Aiden Prescott, Elizabeth's boyfriend. Please step aside and let me in."

"Can I help you?" Jack asked.

"I don't think so. I have a date with Elizabeth," he stated as he attempted to enter the room.

Jack stood in front of him impeding his progress, "You don't come into this room until you're invited."

Aiden had no idea who the man was standing in Elizabeth's room. He felt uncomfortable with his presence, but certainly would have been even more concerned if in the year they had dated, Elizabeth had actually told him about their prior history.

With his eyes remaining on Aiden, Jack called out, "Elizabeth are you expecting…" He hesitated, acting as though he didn't remember the man's name.

"Aiden…Aiden Prescott."

"Aiden Prescott?"

Elizabeth approached the door, "Stop it Jack. You know I have a date with Aiden." She turned to Aiden, "I'm sorry."

Aiden faced Jack, "Who are you?"

"Jack Thornton."

"I know that, but why are you here in my girlfriend's hotel room?"

"Come on Aiden; let's go and I'll explain everything in the car."

"Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"We…?" Elizabeth turned and stared at Jack. "We aren't going anywhere. Aiden and I are going out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary." The last part of her statement was meant to hurt Jack, like she felt he'd hurt her all those many years ago. "If you will excuse me," she stated as she attempted to squeeze past Jack and slip out the door.

"I'm sorry, but I've been hired to protect you; so that means wherever you go, I go."

"Are you serious?" both Aiden and Elizabeth responded in unison.

"Very…Aiden, do you want to drive, or do you want me to?" Jack stated as the sting from her prior comment felt much like a stab wound in his heart while he was surprised at the pleasure he received from placing a damper on their anniversary celebration.

"Look we're going to Fisherman's Wharf; why don't you just follow us?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Sorry but if you want to take two vehicles you can ride with me and Mr. Prescott can follow us."

Elizabeth released a frustrated laugh, "Well, that's not gonna happen."

"I have an idea," Aiden spoke up, "Rosemary, why don't you go out as Mr. Thornton's date, and then it won't seem so conspicuous for him to be sitting alone."

"I was planning to sit with you…" Jack offered.

Rosemary looked at Jack, "What do you think? Do you want to go out together?"

"Stop it guys. That's not fair to his wife," Elizabeth snapped.

"I'm not married," Jack corrected her.

"Okay, then your girlfriend. I can only imagine that she wouldn't like you going out with another woman," Elizabeth commented.

"Elizabeth," Aiden jumped in, "She's probably used to him doing things like that for his work. She's alright with it, isn't she?" Aiden directed his question to Jack.

"I'm sure she would understand if I had a girlfriend, but I'm single," Jack admitted.

"Okay, Rosemary, would you like to join Mr. Prescott, Elizabeth and myself for dinner?" Jack asked.

Rosemary looked back at Elizabeth before returning her glance to Jack, "Sure Mr. Thornton; I'd love to."

"Since we're technically going out on a date, why don't you call me Jack…?"

"Okay Jack; please call me Rosie."

"Rosie? Since when are you called Rosie?" Elizabeth asked.

Rosemary laughed, "My boyfriends call me Rosie."

"Rosemary, he's not your boyfriend," Elizabeth blurted out.

"Well, he's a boy and he's…" she glanced in Jack's direction, "Are you my friend?"

"Yes I am," Jack replied.

"Well then, he's a boy and he's my friend, so he's my boyfriend," Rosemary teased, disappointed in herself for goading Elizabeth with her antics in hopes that at some point she would talk about her time with Jack.

Jack smiled, "Rosie it is then…"

"Okay, let's go…" Rosemary smiled as she playfully slipped her arm through his.

"Come on, I'll drive," Jack stated; the door opened and Jack and Rosemary walked behind Aiden and Elizabeth as they headed for the elevator.

Jack battled the traffic as he made certain that Aiden sat up front with him while the women sat in the roomy back seat on opposite sides of their respective "dates." Aiden turned in his seat and did his best to quietly sweet talk Elizabeth, with each one finding the additional company to be uncomfortable.

They parked in the garage next to Fisherman's Wharf and walked across the foot bridge to the restaurants and shops. Aiden and Elizabeth walked slightly in front of Jack and Rosemary, as Aiden, unaware of Jack and Elizabeth's prior history, figuratively slapped Jack in the face when he reached over and took Elizabeth's hand.

Although Rosemary and Elizabeth were close friends, there were some parts of Elizabeth's life that for whatever reason seemed to be off limits. With Rosemary's eyes and ears open this evening, she hoped to put some of her speculations to rest.

With an ocean's amount of water under the bridge between Jack and Elizabeth, he wasn't prepared for the heart palpitations, dry mouth and sweaty palms as he watched another man with the woman he once thought of as his soul mate, his one true love…his one and only.

While enjoying dinner at McCormick and Kuleto's Seafood, Jack watched as Aiden held Elizabeth's hand, bringing it up to his lips on several occasions. However, he did his best to keep quiet while he sat with "Rosie" at the table next to theirs. How could it be that seeing her again after all this time so quickly brought up residual feelings? After all, he had been over her for a long time, or so he thought.

Rosemary attempted to talk with Jack during dinner, but after calling him several times doing her best to pull his attention away from the table next to them, she gave up, sat back and let her eyes do the interrogating.

Elizabeth excused herself and was only a few feet away from the table when Jack stood up, excused himself and quickly followed behind her.

Standing outside the ladies restroom, Jack waited.

"You know, I'm sure that Mr. Lancaster wants Elizabeth safe, but I can protect her," Aiden walked up and surprised Jack.

"Well, that remains to be seen, but I was hired to do a job and I take my obligations seriously," Jack quickly responded.

"Why is it that I feel for some reason you're more interested in this job than you maybe should be? Am I missing something here; like maybe there is something between you and my girlfriend? And Mr. Thornton, I emphasize the fact that she is my girlfriend."

"You know, it's funny when people want to emphasize their point and they say things as if no one would know that by simply saying Elizabeth, you mean your girlfriend. By pushing that title are you trying to convince me, yourself or Elizabeth?" Jack could tell that he was easily pushing Aiden's buttons as he watched his fist clench only to relax before clenching again.

"You didn't answer my question; is there something between you and Elizabeth?"

"Mr. Prescott, Elizabeth has received several threats to her safety. I'm protecting her; there's nothing else between us. As her boyfriend I would assume that it would be important to you that she stays safe; or am I missing something here?"

"No you aren't missing anything except that I hope to be more than just her boyfriend. It's our anniversary and well, let's just say that I have a surprise for her."

"As her bodyguard I'm not comfortable with surprises."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that it's not for you then. I'd appreciate some alone time with Elizabeth this evening."

"I'm sorry, but while I'm on this case I can't allow you to be alone with her."

"You know, you're treating me like I'm under suspicion. Do you think I sent the letters?"

"Did you?"

"Of course not. What reason would I have for scaring the life out of her?"

"I don't know. Maybe you're more interested in a homemaker and not a career woman."

"That's absurd. I'm proud of Elizabeth. I travel with her whenever I can."

"Speaking of which, how do you feel about Elizabeth travelling, about her being gone a lot?"

"I've always told her that I understand."

Breaking up the tense moment between the two men, Elizabeth stepped back out into the restaurant, "WOW, I don't think I've ever been to the restroom and had two men waiting for me when I came out," As she observed their expressions she quickly added, "What's wrong?"

"Your bodyguard here thinks I'm a threat to you."

"Jack, why would you say that? Aiden and I have been together…"

"For a year…"

"Aiden, I know that. I'm sorry; I just lost my train of thought." She turned to face Jack, "He's not the person sending me the letters. He loves me. Unlike some people, when he says that he loves me, he means it, and he wouldn't hurt me."

"I didn't say that he would, but my job is to find out who is threatening you, and if I ruffle some feathers in the process, so be it."

Aiden held out his hand to Elizabeth and they walked together out onto the deck where they leaned against the railing. Jack desperately wanted to keep her safe, but as he leaned against the open sliding glass door, watching as Aiden held her in his arms, and whispered in her ear he wondered how he would be able to keep his past feelings from getting in the way.

"They make such a cute couple," Rosemary stated as she walked up beside Jack.

Jack tilted his head, arched his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, "Hmm, I hadn't noticed."

He watched as Aiden and Elizabeth looked out over the San Francisco Bay, his arm around her waist. Jack was certain that Aiden knew he was watching as all of his body movements, touching, brushing her hair behind her ear and kissing seemed to be exaggerated for his benefit. Elizabeth on the other hand, appeared uncomfortable knowing that Jack was watching them.

For someone who seemed to follow Elizabeth everywhere, including the restroom, Rosemary observed Jack closed his eyes and turn his head as Aiden played off his private time with her. It certainly didn't appear that Jack's reason was that he didn't want to intrude; it was more like the sight of Elizabeth with another man was emotionally painful.

The Lukas Graham song "Love Someone" played through the speaker beside him, as he remembered the first time he'd ever spoken the words "I love you," to anyone.

He and Elizabeth were walking through an apple orchard in the Charlottesville Mountains when she climbed on a step stool that was provided for the hard to reach fruit. She slipped and he easily caught her in his arms.

She slid down his body until her feet hit the ground; their lips mere inches apart. As their minty breaths mingled, he leaned in and their lips met for the first time. Oh he'd kissed her before, but it was always friendly in nature. On this occasion, as their lips separated, he whispered, "I love you," and he'd never meant his words more than he did at that particular moment.

Now, he watched Aiden take Elizabeth in his arms and listened to the song playing in the background as the lyrics seemed quite poignant…

 _ **There are days  
I wake up and I pinch myself  
You're with me, not someone else  
And I am scared, yeah, I'm still scared  
That it's all a dream  
**_

 _ **'Cause you still look perfect as days go by  
Even the worst ones, you make me smile  
I'd stop the world if it gave us time**_

 _ **'Cause when you love someone  
You open up your heart  
When you love someone  
You may grow  
If you love someone  
And you're not afraid to lose 'em  
You'll probably never love someone like I do  
You'll probably never love someone like I do  
**_

 _ **When you say  
You love the way I make you feel  
Everything becomes so real  
Don't be scared, no, don't be scared**_

 _ **'Cause you're all I need**_

 _ **And you still look perfect as days go by  
Even the worst ones, you make me smile  
I'd stop the world if it gave us time  
**_

 _ **'Cause when you love someone  
You open up your heart  
When you love someone  
You may grow  
If you love someone  
And you're not afraid to lose 'em  
You'll probably never love someone like I do  
You'll probably never love someone like I do**_

 _ **All my life  
I thought it'd be hard to find  
The one 'til I found you  
And I find it bittersweet  
'Cause you gave me something to lose**_

 _ **But when you love someone  
You open up your heart  
When you love someone  
You may grow  
If you love someone  
And you're not afraid to lose 'em  
You'll probably never love someone like I do**_

Rosemary said nothing, but watched intently. She observed Jack press his palms against his jeans, doing his best to remove the oddly dispersed sweat. What caught her was Jack's intensity in watching them dance, and then the turn of his head as he wiped away what Rosemary could only assume were tears as they slipped down his cheeks.

She didn't know Jack, but what she saw, she liked. Based on what she observed, Rosemary knew that there was a back story and whether or not Jack and/or Elizabeth knew it, she could still sense that it wasn't over.

As the song ended and Elizabeth started back toward their table, Aiden took hold of her hand and turned her back to face him. Reaching in his pocket and dropping to one knee he stated, "This isn't how I wanted to do this, but given the situation, I don't think we will have any private time. We've been dating for a year, and we've talked about marriage, settling down and making a solid home for ourselves and our children. I'm ready Elizabeth; will you marry me?"

Hearing Jack gasp, Rosemary asked, "What's wrong?"

 _ **Note: The next chapter is nearly done, and hopefully may resolve some issues between the parties. Hmm, which parties would that be…?**_

 _ **There are a few pictures that will be posted on the facebook fan fiction pages shortly.**_

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4- Enjoy the Beach

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 4- Enjoy the Beach**_

Jack could barely speak, "N-no-thing…"

"Oh WOW, I know she didn't see that one coming," Rosemary stated. Her words were whispered but loud enough for Jack to hear. "How do you feel about that?"

"It's her life. I'm just here to protect her, so it doesn't matter what I think."

"Jack, why is it that even though you and Elizabeth say that there is nothing between you two, I am nowhere near convinced."

"I'm sorry Rosie; I don't know what to tell you."

"The truth would be nice…"

"It's a little late for that now. It wouldn't matter anyway."

"Jack, it's never too late for the truth."

Elizabeth was fairly certain that her heart stopped and the lightheaded feeling she experience led her to believe that she had ceased breathing as well. She stood motionless; his question was seriously unexpected, and she wasn't certain how to respond.

Still on bended knee, Aiden squeezed her hand, "Elizabeth, please answer me…"

"Aiden, I…I don't know what to say…"

His voice was hushed, but he was beginning to feel anxious as the eyes of everyone in the restaurant were upon him. "You know I love you and I believe you love me. I know there's no one else, is there?"

She turned back and glanced at Jack. In that fleeting moment as their eyes met, she saw the man she once thought of as the love of her life again turning away from her. She felt as she did all those many years ago, standing on the soccer field holding the phone to her ear, and begging him not to push her away. The feelings then and now were much the same; her heart was breaking, she could barely breathe, and for a woman on the cusp of what should be one of the most exciting events in her life, she felt empty and alone.

Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, as Jack turned away, seemingly uninterested, the past six years of his life flashed before his eyes. With Elizabeth always on his mind, his honest feelings for her were the main reason that he was unable to commit himself to any other woman. He never believed that they would ever see each other again, and in his mind, she may not be perfect, but she was perfect for him, and settling for less than perfect was not acceptable.

Feeling the pressure of the moment and observing what she read as a lack of interest from Jack, she returned her attention to Aiden, "Uh…yes?" she spoke softly; her response sounding more like a hesitant question than an excited pronouncement. She wasn't certain why she'd answered as such, other than the fact that seeing Jack again after all these years seemed to have spun her emotions out of control.

Aiden stood up and yelled, "She said 'yes,'" as he swept her up in his arms to the claps and cheers of almost everyone in attendance, and then he planted a kiss on her lips that would have made a porn star blush.

Aiden slipped a 1 ct. pear-shaped diamond engagement ring on her finger. It was a beautiful ring and initially Elizabeth smiled with thoughts of her impetuous decision not hitting her until later when she was alone, or so she thought.

Once they arrived home, Aiden and Elizabeth said good night as Jack sat no more than ten feet away. He felt nauseous with an unsettling in his stomach and a burning in his heart. Although they had been "over" for six years, he never assumed that he would be so present in her life when she moved on. It was hard at twenty-two years of age. At twenty-eight, it was devastating.

When Aiden left and the hotel room door closed behind him, Elizabeth placed her jacket and purse on the kitchenette counter, said good night and walked back to her bedroom.

Jack walked out onto the balcony, took out his phone and made a call. He stepped back inside and covered some new information with Rosemary before taking a seat on the sofa. He released a frustrated breath as his elbow made a dent on the arm of his seat and the side of his head rested in his open hand.

He stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Rosemary stood quietly. She sensed that he had a lot on his mind, not all of which pertained to his job of protecting Elizabeth.

"WOW, what an emotional night this has been," she attempted to make small talk.

Jack said nothing but simply frowned, cocked his head to one side and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm happy for Elizabeth; now if we can just get this stalker issue taken care of," she stated as she took a seat beside him on the sofa. "You know, Elizabeth and I are more to each other than just author and editor. We're friends," Rosemary stated as she glanced down and found several copies of Elizabeth's first book, "What Could Have Been" sitting prominently on the coffee table.

Picking up one of the books Rosemary turned to Jack, "Have you ever read this?"

"No…"

"Well, knowing that your friend wrote it, don't you think that it might be an interesting read?"

"Maybe…"

"To be honest with you, from its first draft, I have always felt that she wrote this from personal experience."

That statement caught Jack's attention and as he reached for the other copy and read through the back cover, his interest did not go unnoticed.

Rosemary walked into the kitchenette, "Would you like a glass of wine?"

 _ **WOW, I could use one…**_ was what he thought, but "No thank you" was how he responded.

Rosemary poured herself and Elizabeth each a glass, setting the extra one on the counter as she walked back toward Jack.

He looked up, catching Rosemary staring in his direction. He said nothing, and it was evident that he really didn't want to talk. He was certain that if his mouth opened, he feared that a rush of emotions would escape with the force of an exploding champagne cork. As such, keeping quiet was safe.

"You know, you can lie to me when you say there isn't anything between you and Elizabeth, but don't lie to yourself," Rosemary stated as she turned and headed down the hall.

Realizing that she'd left Elizabeth's glass of wine on the counter she stopped, turned around and walked back toward the living area. Hearing a noise, she stood at the end of the hallway as she watched Jack, not wanting to intrude.

Assuming that he was now alone, Jack whispered, "Elizabeth…why" as he rested his face in his hands and cried. He cleared his throat and quickly wiped his eyes as Rosemary coughed to signal her presence before walking back into the room.

"I'm sorry; I forgot Elizabeth's wine. Jack, I don't mean to intrude…"

"Apparently that doesn't stop you."

Rosemary blew off his comment before continuing, "You can say all you want that there is nothing between you two, but this, your tears say otherwise."

"I don't know what you're talking about; I just have something in my eyes."

"Hmm, yeah and I suspect it's the vision of another man proposing to a woman that you have feelings for," Rosemary's voice was soft but with a matter of fact tone.

Rosemary continued, "Just like you, Elizabeth isn't talking about your relationship…"

"That's because there isn't one."

Finally realizing that she would continue to push for some sort of explanation he continued, "Rosie, Elizabeth and I were friends in college. We went our separate ways, that's the story. She seems to be doing well, so I'm happy for her. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"I guess we can if you're okay with her marrying another man. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Aiden, and God knows he does everything in his power to make Elizabeth happy."

"Rosemary, I don't have any say in Elizabeth's life. If she's happy, I'm happy for her." Jack momentarily looked away before returning his eyes to her, "Is she happy with him?"

Rosemary released her own frustrated breath, "I think she cares about Aiden, but I'm not so sure that she's in love with him."

"If she doesn't love him, why did she say yes?"

"Jack, if Aiden had proposed to Elizabeth a month ago, she may have said yes without hesitation. However, now I think there's something… or more likely someone who's keeping her from giving 100% to this relationship. I personally think you know what or who that is."

Grabbing Elizabeth's glass of wine from the counter she turned back toward Jack before leaving, "You know, we all have done stupid things when we're younger. But as we age in years and experiences, we learn from our mistakes; we don't let our bad choices snowball, and we do our best to make things right."

Jack looked up at Rosemary before just as quickly glancing away.

Rosemary continued, "I like Aiden; he's a nice guy and is always there for Elizabeth... and I mean always! I've never told Elizabeth this, but I'm not so certain that he likes her success. I get the impression sometimes that he's looking for a woman to be his 'eye candy' and not an equal partner."

"If you and Elizabeth are so close, why wouldn't you tell her about your concerns?"

"Jack, I think whatever happened to Elizabeth years ago still affects her. Maybe she sees Aiden as someone who can take that pain away. I don't know, but unless he's cheating on her, or will hurt her somehow, the only thing I can do is be there to talk if she needs me."

Rosemary quickly continued, "Besides, women always ask, 'Why didn't you tell me' when their relationship has problems, but truly if you had said something most of the time they wouldn't believe you anyway. Besides, I don't have anything to base it on; it's just a feeling."

"You mentioned hurting her; do you think he would, hurt her, I mean?" he asked, obviously concerned about the possibility.

"No, I don't think so, but then again, how well do we really know other people?" she stated before heading back toward Elizabeth's room, and leaving Jack alone to ponder the evening's events.

Rosemary walked back and tapped on Elizabeth's door, "Hey, may I come in?"

Hearing nothing, Rosemary assumed that she was in the bathroom. Opening the door, she found Elizabeth standing at the window crying. "What's wrong?" she asked. "This should be an exciting night for you. Let me see that ring."

Elizabeth held out her hand showing the bauble on her ring finger. "Why did he do that?"

"Do what?"

"Propose like that?"

"Like what?"

"In front of people…"

"Are you speaking about the people in the restaurant or are you referring to Jack."

"I said there is nothing between me and Jack."

"I'll tell you like I just told him, "You can lie to me, but don't lie to yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about. We knew each other many years ago, that's it."

"Elizabeth, stop it. Please, before you compound one mistake with another, tell me what happened. Whether you know it or not, what happened has affected you."

Elizabeth walked back to the bed and took a seat. Rosemary could see her eyes glistening with tears that were quickly forming. As she wiped her eyes, her mouth opened and it felt as though her entire life began to spill out.

"I didn't think that seeing him again was going to be so hard," Elizabeth barely managed to speak through her wavering voice. "He walked away from me, Rosemary; not the other way around. He never wrote or came to see me, nothing. He left and it was done."

"May I ask you something?"

"Not if it's about Jack."

"I understand you being upset and angry, but still; after all these years…why?"

"If you are implying that I'm still in love with Jack, you're wrong."

"I'm not implying anything, but Elizabeth, that was six years ago. We all make stupid decisions when we're young. Don't you remember me telling you about shaving my head just before my college graduation?"

Elizabeth glanced back at Rosemary as a hesitant smile graced her face. "I'll bet that was a sight. But Rosemary, it's not the same thing. He left and he didn't look back. He had no regrets, and he made no attempt to explain why. He told me to move on and my last words to him were that he could go to Hell…"

Elizabeth stood up and began to pace, quickly finding herself back at the window where she glanced down at the crowds on the sidewalk below. "How do you get over something like that? I mean, you love someone with your whole heart, and they profess to feel the same way. Then, out of the clear blue, you're no longer important to them and they cast you aside as if you were a piece of yesterday's trash."

"So you two were in love…" Rosemary asked, feeling somewhat vindicated as both Jack and Elizabeth had denied a previous relationship.

Rosemary continued, "I'm going to say something right now; you may not want to hear it, but you need to deal with it…"

"What?"

"Are you still in love with Jack?"

Elizabeth said nothing, however, the fresh round of tears said it all as she rested her head against the window pane.

Elizabeth's expression went cold, "He can still go to Hell," she angrily stated before wiping her eyes and turning back toward Rosemary. "He wanted me to move on," Elizabeth stated as she glanced at her left hand ring finger, "Well, I'm doing what he told me to do. Aiden is perfect."

"Elizabeth, nobody is perfect."

"Well, he's perfect for me."

"I like Aiden, and it's evident that he puts you first, but Elizabeth…"

"Don't say anything bad; I can't take it."

"I'm not saying anything bad, but you know, it's only been a year since you two started dating. Part of that time you were away working on your book."

"He made up for it by coming to my book signings."

"Yes, all of them... every. single. one!"

"So what's your point?"

"Do you know him well enough to marry him?"

"Rosemary, he loves me…"

"Yes, but do you love him?" Rosemary asked as Elizabeth continued to stare out the window.

Rosemary started toward the door but quickly turned around, "So, how do you feel about him?"

"I like him. I wouldn't have gone out with him for so long if I didn't."

"Not Aiden…Jack; how do you feel about Jack?"

"Rosemary, my time with Jack was over a long time ago. We just weren't meant to be," Elizabeth walked back and took a seat on the bed.

"Hmm, so that's why you were crying? Maybe you'd better reevaluate your heart."

"What are you talking about?"

"Elizabeth, you just told me that you like Aiden. Don't you think you should be in love with him to get married?"

"It was just a poor choice of words. You know I love him."

"Elizabeth, after tonight, I'm not sure what I know anymore."

"I'm tired," Elizabeth stated as she slipped her shoes off and unzipped her dress. "I'll see you in the morning," she stated as she walked to the closet to retrieve a hanger. "What time is the book signing tomorrow?"

"2 pm and then we fly out at 8:30," Rosemary reminded her as she walked toward the door. "Mr. Lancaster chartered us a flight, so the take-off time is just an estimate."

"Okay, but what about…never mind."

"What is it?" Rosemary asked.

"Is it just us on the plane?" Elizabeth asked.

"Aiden is flying commercial, but I'm not sure if Jack is coming."

"Jack isn't coming?"

Rosemary smiled at Elizabeth's apparent need for Jack, "Well, his company is still protecting you; it just may not be him."

Rosemary slipped out the door as Elizabeth changed into her pajamas, claiming to be exhausted.

Rosemary stood just outside Elizabeth's door, her hand remaining on the knob feeling somewhat conflicted. She loved Elizabeth like a sister, and hated to see her so torn. Whether she chose Jack or Aiden, Rosemary didn't care, as long as it was her choice. However, right now, she felt like Elizabeth was choosing based on past history and not the deepest emotions of her heart.

Rosemary thought about the love story that she'd now only heard bits and pieces of, but felt close to; feeling more than ever that Elizabeth's first book, in all its honest beauty came from personal experience.

She thought about Charlotte's love for Thorne; how it ran so deep and pure, and how their youth and inexperience in life kept them from fighting for what they wanted…each other. She didn't know Jack, really know him, but if he was truly Thorne in Elizabeth's book, that type of love would be hard to forget.

Sitting on her bed, Elizabeth felt the emotions of the past six years caving in, much like an avalanche, crushing her. Her chest felt tight, she felt flushed and unlike the rest of her fingers, the one which sported her newest piece of jewelry was swollen, as she pulled and tugged, trying her best to remove the bauble.

This should be the most exciting night of her life so far and yet, seeing Jack again also brought about the ache in her heart for what she thought once was, but will never be again.

She felt guilty for feeling Jack's loss; for the feelings she still had for him took away from what she should feel for Aiden. Had Jack not returned to her life, albeit temporarily and for professional reasons only, she believed that Aiden would be the one for her? After all, she cared for him and there was no doubt in her mind that he loved her.

However, it wasn't fair that Jack could still impact her life after all these years; how he made her believe that she was special; that their love would survive all of life's challenges, only to witness her 'happily ever after' disintegrate before her eyes.

She laid back on her bed as the radio played softly in the background; her tears slipping from her eyes like a relentless leaky faucet. As the Laura Daigle song "You Say" began, Elizabeth listened, again experiencing the impact of Jack's promises and the loss of self that she felt when he walked away.

With each and every lyric she was thankful that her Christian beliefs kept her from slipping, even in her deepest depression, down the darkest hole she could have ever imagined…

 _ **I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I'm not enough  
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up  
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?  
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know (ooh oh)**_

 _ **You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing  
You say I am strong when I think I am weak  
You say I am held when I am falling short  
When I don't belong, oh You say that I am Yours  
And I believe, oh I believe  
What You say of me  
I believe**_

 _ **The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me  
In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, (ooh oh)**_

 _ **You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing  
You say I am strong when I think I am weak  
And You say I am held when I am falling short  
When I don't belong, oh You say that I am Yours  
And I believe, oh I believe  
What You say of me  
Oh, I believe**_

 _ **Taking all I have and now I'm laying it at your feet  
You have every failure God, and you'll have every victory, (ooh oh)**_

 _ **You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing  
You say I am strong when I think I am weak  
You say I am held when I am falling short  
When I don't belong, oh You say that I am Yours  
And I believe, oh I believe  
What You say of me  
I believe**_

 _ **Oh I believe, yes I believe  
What you say of me  
Oh I believe **_

"Why…why are you back in my life now…?"

She pulled her bag from the floor up onto the bed and retrieved her journal from inside. Opening her leather bound secret keeper, she flipped to the next blank page, took a deep breath and prayed that she would be able to unburden herself of the nagging feelings that had plagued her for what seemed like forever. She clicked her favorite writing pen and watched as the words seemed to flow across the page…

" _ **I feel so lost; so far left of center that I can't seem to get my bearings straight. It's as if my head and heart are at odds, completely out of sync, and battling with each other. My mind understands the truth, the reasons that I have to move on, but now seeing you again, my heart remains sad and continues to feel the loss.**_

 _ **You were my life; my everything until you weren't. You pushed me aside as if I was an afterthought, no emotion, no caring and certainly, no love. Have you even thought of me after all these years? Did it hurt you in the least to walk away, because I was crushed? Did it impact you in any way to see me again? Somehow I look in your eyes and I see nothing. The love I felt by a simple glance is lost. I gave you my heart, but you callously left it, left me behind.**_

 _ **Something happens when you're hurt by someone you've held so near and dear. As your heart shatters, the chemistry of your insides changes. Somehow you manage to put the pieces back together, however, just like you, your heart is never the same again. The broken pieces, those integral parts of you are changed, never fitting back as they did before. As a result you tend to look at people differently. You tend to hold things inside, choosing not to open up quickly or fully. You're hesitant to trust and you question the motives of everyone you meet.**_

 _ **Because of you I don't trust easily; I don't feel fully, and I question my judgment in each and every decision. I still love you, and I don't know why, for it's clear that I meant nothing to you. In the end you walked away free and clear, leaving me to pick up the many pieces of my shattered existence.**_

 _ **I've moved on, or so I thought. Seeing you again takes me back six years as the emotions feel just as raw as they did on Graduation Day. Again, that should have been a day to cherish and yet, it quickly became an occasion that I tried desperately to forget. I know we had some wonderful times, but sadly I see you and what comes to mind are those days that followed which consisted of tears, anger, confusion and heartache.**_

 _ **But just know that I no longer hold you accountable for walking away; apparently I was not what you needed in life, and I cannot blame you for coming to that realization. I simply feel cheated that you acted like a coward and ran from me without being honest. I deserved at least that much.**_

 _ **I have always been a believer in the saying that it 'takes strength to hang in' when the going gets rough. But right here, right now, I believe that it takes much more strength to simply let go."**_

As Rosemary entered the living area she heard voices out on the balcony. She recognized Jack's distinctive voice, strong, but kind, however, the other one was unfamiliar to her. She started toward the door but stopped suddenly and listened.

"Robert, you don't understand; I let my guard down and you find a letter that was slipped under the door. He was here," Jack stated as he carefully opened the letter…

" _ **SO, I SEE YOU HAVE PROTECTION. ARE YOU SCARED? YOU SHOULD BE…"**_

"I'm too close to this case."

"What are you talking about?"

"Robert, this isn't just a case; it's Elizabeth…"

"Your Elizabeth?"

"She hasn't been mine for a long time. I ruined that…but if she had just responded to my letters, I know we could have worked it out."

"Didn't you tell me that both of you had moved on?"

"She did…"

"You haven't talked about her in a long time. I assumed you had forgotten about her."

"Robert, she's the love of my life; I haven't forgotten. My feelings are too personal; I never should have taken this case."

"Jack, if the love of your life is Elizabeth, who's Halsey?"

"Stay with me here, Robert. Halsey is Elizabeth's pseudonym."

"Her pseudo what?"

"It's her pen name. She writes the book but the author is listed as Halsey Woodrow."

"Oh, I see."

"So you'll take the case from here?"

"No..."

"Why…?"

"Jack, I'm going to tell you like you told me when I was having trouble with Kelsey…work it out with her."

"This is different; Elizabeth's engaged to someone else," Jack ran his hands harshly through his hair. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to watch another man propose to her, and have her say, yes?"

"Oh man, that's cold. But Jack, you said that you told her to move on. You can't be upset because she did."

"I'm not upset…Yes I am. I didn't move on. Why did she?"

"I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe she didn't have any other choice. After all, it's been six years. If she hadn't been in San Francisco and needed protection, you still wouldn't have seen her."

"Robert, I was 22 years old and stupid. I know I hurt her. I won't be so bold as to say I broke her heart, but it certainly broke mine," Rosemary heard each word as the hurt in Jack's voice was evident.

Jack continued, "Robert, I don't like to do this, but do I need to remind you who's the boss?"

Robert released a harsh breath, "Where am I flying to?"

"Chicago…"

"Well at least it's an exciting town."

"You aren't there to have fun. You're there to protect her."

"I know; how long will I be gone?"

"I don't know. Pack for at least a week, and I'll keep an eye on Kelsey and Julia while you're gone," Jack promised.

Rosemary stood in the kitchenette as Jack walked back inside, seemingly focused solely on the hotel room door oblivious to her presence. He scooped his jacket up from the end table on his way passed the sofa, and in a split second he was gone.

As Jack walked down the hall, he observed a man with dark hair and approximately 5'11" tall wearing what appeared to be a generic workman's jumpsuit stepping into the elevator. He reached the elevator as the door closed, the man turned away, obscuring his face from view.

Jack headed for the staircase, thankful that he was in prime shape as he ran down seven flights of steps. As he exited the stairwell, he observed the man climbing in the side sliding door of an unmarked windowless van.

Jack ran outside, but the van pulled away before he could make out the license plate number. Rushing back inside he approached the desk clerk, "Are you having any work done in this hotel?"

"Not that I know of, but let me check with…"

Before he could finish his answer, Jack was back in the elevator and on his way up to the 7th floor. Slowly he exited into the hallway, suddenly concerned that this threat he'd initially not taken seriously was in fact something to take very seriously.

Halfway down the hall was a security light, and upon further inspection a small camera system was found, its lens pointed directly at Elizabeth's room. With gloves covering his hands, Jack removed the Wi-Fi ready camera and placed it in a baggie for further analysis.

Not wanting to upset the women, Jack called Robert, advising him of the situation.

"Yes, I see…" Robert listened carefully as Jack continued to talk. "Jack, you know me. I won't let anything happen to her.

"On my way home I'm going to run this by the station to see if there are any prints on it. If you need me, call…"

"Jack, I have it under control. You need some sleep," Robert assured him as they ended their call and he stepped back inside and took a seat on the sofa.

"Oh…hi." Robert stated, surprised to see Rosemary standing almost hidden in the kitchenette.

"You must be Robert. You're staying to watch over Elizabeth tonight, right?"

"Yes ma'am; I'll be here if you need anything. You must be Rosie…"

"Rosie or Rosemary; I answer to both." Rosemary looked around to make certain they were alone before opening her mouth, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you need?" Robert replied as he jumped up from the sofa assuming that she needed him to do something.

"Sit back down; I just want to ask you a question." Glancing around again, she observed that they were still alone. "What are we going to do to get those two together to talk?"

Robert took a seat in the living area, "I'm sorry but I'm not one for butting into someone else's love life. It causes hard feelings, and most of the time it doesn't work out."

"You're misunderstanding what I mean. As far as I can tell her fiancé is a nice guy and if he is who she chooses, that's fine. But I heard Jack talking to you, and I can tell you, both of them are hurting," Rosemary explained. "I don't know Jack very well, but neither of them will be able to move on if they don't talk to each other. So, what can we do?"

Robert and Rosemary threw out ideas; some were fair, others were not even worth giving a second thought, but then there was one, and they both decided that it was worth giving it a try.

They figured out the particulars and then Rosemary excused herself, slipping down the hallway toward her room. She stopped at Elizabeth's room, peeking in the door to tell her that Robert was taking over for Jack, but she was sound asleep. She closed the door and assumed as in most days, she would be awake before Elizabeth and would introduce her to Robert at that time.

On his way home, Jack stopped by the police station and spoke with a detective friend. He left the camera to be analyzed and then continued on his way home.

An hour and a half after leaving Elizabeth's room Jack pulled into his driveway. He reached over into the passenger seat and grabbed his jacket, not realizing until now that Elizabeth's book was tucked securely underneath.

Jack walked inside, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a seat in his favorite chair. His hands shook as he opened the front cover and began to read…

" _ **What Could Have Been" follows Charlotte and Thorne as they navigate through life, love, happiness and heartache. They were brought together by fate, held together by love, but will circumstances tear these two lovers apart?**_

 _ **At first glance, it appears evident that nothing, baring the complete elimination of mankind would ever tear them apart. Even then you get the sense that they would somehow find each other, their souls bound together forever.**_

 _ **As they navigate through life's struggles they believe that nothing or no one could ever come between them. Are they truly a match made in Heaven, or will the fires of Hell consume them?"**_

Jack flipped from page to page unable to close the book, feeling the need to read it in its entirety. Unlike Rosemary, he'd lived this book, most of it anyway, so he had no doubts as to where the inspiration for its existence came from.

He wondered how she could write such sadness, how Thorne was left to appear so cold and unfeeling, when the truth was he felt every emotion, as his heart also broke when they separated. He was aware that this was a piece of fiction, but to him it felt quite real.

6 am the following morning, Elizabeth came down the hall into the living area…

"AHHHHHH, who are you," she screamed. "Jack, Jack, JACK…what did you do to Jack?" she yelled as her eyes darted about the room.

"I'm Robert. I…"

"Get away from me…" she screamed as her heart pounded and she looked for anything she could use as a weapon. Finding nothing, she turned and ran back toward her room as Robert followed her.

Elizabeth's screaming woke Rosemary, who flew out of her room while slipping on her bathrobe, "What's wrong?"

Elizabeth pushed her back into her room, slammed the door and locked it, "He got in. Jack is gone; I don't know what this guy did to him, but Jack is gone. All of it is my fault."

"Stop it Elizabeth; that's Robert. He works with Jack," Rosemary stated as she opened her door and found Robert standing at the end of the hallway. "Come on in Robert; it's okay."

Robert stepped into the room and found Elizabeth shaking, tears staining her cheeks and finding it difficult to catch her breath.

"Why didn't you say something to me?" Elizabeth scolded Rosemary.

"I didn't know Jack was leaving until late and you were already asleep. I thought I'd be up before you. I'm sorry; I'm so sorry to both of you," Rosemary apologized.

"Why did he leave?" Elizabeth asked.

"He went home to sleep and to take a shower. He'll be back for your book signing, but it looks like I'll be travelling with you back to Chicago," Robert advised.

He turned to Rosemary, "What time is the flight out?"

"Tonight at 8:30."

"Okay, well, when Jack gets back this morning, I'll get my stuff together and meet you at the airport." Robert turned to Elizabeth, "I'm so sorry that I scared you; it certainly wasn't my intent," he stated before leaving the room and heading back into the living area.

Following lunch, Rosemary, Elizabeth, Jack and Aiden headed downstairs to the waiting car which took them to Dog Eared Books, located in the heart of San Francisco.

Once they arrived, the owner of the bookstore, Darlene Benton, invited Elizabeth into the back to talk. Unaware of the threats made to her safety, she assumed Jack, who refused to let Elizabeth out of his sight, was the fiancé she'd heard about.

"I understand that congratulations are in order," Darlene mentioned. "You two make a really cute couple."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, initially confused by the comment. "Oh, no this is…"

"Darlene, we have a problem. Can you come out here for a minute?" Daisy, the sales clerk asked.

"Please excuse me; I'll be right back."

The room was initially quiet. The silence was deafening, as each one did their best to occupy themselves without beginning a conversation.

Jack decided to make the first move, "I read your book."

"When?"

"Last night. I started reading it and I couldn't put it down. It was really good, but so sad. Elizabeth, it's our story, isn't it?"

Before she could answer, Darlene returned, "Crisis averted," she laughed. "Are you ready?"

"Sure, let's go."

Following the book signing, everyone climbed into the limo and headed for the airport.

Jack pulled out his phone, "Hey, we're on our way to the airport. I need you to meet us at Terminal C," he advised Robert.

"I'm on my way," Robert stated as he sat down on his den sofa with a bowl of chips and a beer and continued watching a football game on TV.

As the limo pulled onto the airport grounds, the chauffer stopped at the American Airlines entrance.

"Rosemary, isn't there enough room on the plane for Aiden to fly with us?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, I'm sorry. Since he flew out here on his own, and we weren't sure he was coming when the arrangements were made, Mr. Lancaster chartered a small jet," Rosemary advised.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth responded as she stepped out of the limo with him to say goodbye.

"My phone is dead, but I'll be at the airport when you land. I love you."

"I know…" she replied.

Aiden's eyes met Jack's, as he leaned in, his lips pressing firmly against Elizabeth's. He was still unaware of the connection between Jack and Elizabeth, but felt certain that there was one.

Aiden pulled Elizabeth's left hand up to his lips, kissing the finger which held the symbol of his affection; a gesture that caused Jack to quickly turn away. He held her hand as she stepped back inside the limo, closed the door and then walked inside the airport.

The limo pulled around to Terminal C, driving out onto the tarmac and up to the Bombardier Challenger 350 charter jet.

Jack pulled all of the bags and suitcases from the limo's trunk, finding one to be oddly familiar before handing them off to the jet's crew to stow in the rather large cargo hold.

Elizabeth, Jack and Rosemary climbed the stairs finding the accommodations to be quite roomy.

"Rosemary, this plane is big enough; Aiden should fly with us. I'm going to call him."

"Elizabeth don't you remember him telling you that his phone was dead? I'm sorry; I thought it was a smaller jet."

As they stepped into the jet they were greeted by the flight attendant, who offered them a drink as they got settled.

"I'm not staying," Jack advised. "I'm waiting on someone who's taking my place."

Angie, the flight attendant, handed Elizabeth and Rosemary glasses of white wine before turning back toward Jack. "Would you like a cup of coffee, a bottle of water or a soft drink while you wait?"

"No, but thank you," Jack responded.

Elizabeth couldn't help but watch as Angie, knowing that Jack wasn't staying, still continued to offer him snacks, pillows and a blanket, assuming that the flirt meter was way off the chart.

"Would you two like to spend some time alone together?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jack responded as he frequently glanced at his watch wondering when Robert would arrive.

Rosemary jumped up, "Oh no, I forgot my jacket in the limo. I'll be right back." She walked toward the front of the plane, stepped into the cabin and had a word with the pilot before heading down the steps and back out on the tarmac. She climbed into the limo which drove her back to the airport entrance.

The pilot and co-pilot took care of registering their flight plan, and contacted the tower to be cleared for takeoff.

Elizabeth, finding the day to have been emotionally exhausting, closed her eyes. Jack, having spent the night reading was also tired and just as quickly his eyes closed as well.

"Excuse me," Angie tapped Jack and Elizabeth on the shoulders. "We're taxiing for takeoff; you need to fasten your seatbelts." She turned toward Jack, "Looks like you are flying with us after all."

Both Elizabeth's and Jack's phones rang. Robert advised Jack that he wasn't coming; however, while they were at the book signing, he'd gone to Jack's house, packed a bag and delivered it to the limo. "Jack, please talk to her. If you let her go without telling her how you feel, you'll regret it."

Rosemary apologized for the deception, "I'm sorry Elizabeth, but you and Jack have to talk. Please clear the air and if you choose to stay with Aiden, at least you won't carry any baggage with you."

"I can't believe you did this…"

Angie walked down the aisle, "Please…airplane mode."

"Enjoy the beach…" Rosemary stated before the phones went dead and the plane left the runway.

 _ **NOTE: There will be a few pictures posted on the facebook fan fiction sites.**_

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5- Cancun or Bust

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 5- Cancun or Bust…**_

"Rosemary and I will have a talk when I get home."

"Robert better hope I don't make it home," Jack murmured.

Knowing how takeoffs scared her, he felt the familiar heat and electricity shoot through his body as her hand cover his. The jet raced down the runway as her eyes shut, her fingers closed around his hand and she squeezed tightly, deathly afraid to let go.

She initially didn't realize the placement of her hand, but immediately felt safe. The warmth spread throughout her body; feeling so familiar, feeling so right.

As the jet left the runway, she continued to hold his hand until the landing gear was tucked up safely underneath them and the plane had reached its flying altitude.

Her eyes opened and she glanced down, "I'm…I'm sorry," she pulled her hand away quickly.

"Don't mention it," he responded.

They both glanced around, but neither spoke until Jack broke the silence, "Where's your engagement ring?"

Elizabeth unbuckled her seatbelt and moved from the sofa to a seat across the aisle, "It's none of your business. Oh wait, are you just worried that someone's going to attack me for my jewelry?"

Jack shook his head as he released a sharp breath, "No, I was just concerned."

"Well, I'm still engaged, but if it's that important to you, it's in my suitcase; it needs to be resized."

They both sat back glancing out their respective windows, as the temperature in the cabin appeared to drop dramatically. Each one glanced in the other's direction when they assumed they would not be seen, only to have their eyes dart back out the window when their glances met.

At this point, it was midnight, east coast time. It had been a busy day and evening, and before long, both Jack and Elizabeth were leaning against their windows, sound asleep.

Several hours later Angie observed Jack stirring. She made her way up the aisle, "Can I get you anything?" she asked. When he declined she turned to Elizabeth who had just opened her eyes, "How about you?"

"No thank you."

Before walking away, Angie turned back toward Jack, "Are you living in San Francisco, or were you just visiting?"

"I live there."

"I do too," Angie smiled as she leaned against the cabinet by Jack's seat. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a card and handed it to him, "If you're not involved or otherwise engaged, call me sometime."

She placed the card in his hand and to be polite, he accepted it, but had no intention of calling her. He wasn't interested. In fact, in the past six years, since he'd become "available," the only woman he was interested in was the one he'd walked away from, and she was sitting across the aisle from him refusing to give him the time of day.

Given their seating arrangements, Angie had no reason to suspect any back story between them. She simply assumed that Elizabeth and Jack were just travelling together but were not a couple. She did her best to flirt with him however, he never took the bait.

As Angie walked back toward the cockpit, Elizabeth commented, "Jack, it looks like 'Miss Fly the Friendly Skies' is interested in you. You're missing your chance."

"You wouldn't happen to be jealous, would you?"

Elizabeth released an indignant sigh, "Me? Of course not. I have a wonderful man. I just thought maybe you…"

"Maybe I what?"

"Jack, you can't find the woman of your dreams if you close yourself off."

"I've already found the woman of my dreams, but she's not interested."

For years, Elizabeth assumed that he never really loved her, assuming that he must be talking about someone else, she prodded, "Who is it Jack; someone I know?"

"Are you serious?" _**How could she not know that it's her; it's always been her?**_

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry, but seriously, Angie seems nice; you know if you like that obvious, throw it in your face kind of person."

Jack's tone turned cold, "I'm not interested," he stated before turning away and looking back out the window.

Several hours into the trip, Jack left his seat and headed for the restroom.

While he was gone, Angie took a seat beside Elizabeth, "Hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Am I correct in assuming that you and Jack are not a couple?"

"May I ask why? I mean from what I can tell, you've already started making the moves on him."

"Was I that obvious?" Angie asked. "I'm sorry; if you're interested in him, I'll back away."

Elizabeth gently shook her head back and forth. "I'm sorry; I don't have any right to say anything."

"I just assumed that since you were basically sitting in different time zones that you weren't a couple, but…" Angie hesitated.

"But what?"

"I've made the flight to Cancun so many times, and never have the passengers been a man and a woman that were not in love."

"Well, Jack is a grown man and he can…wait, did you say Cancun?"

"Yes, and I have to say that it's a beautiful time of year to go."

"Cancun? As in the Cancun in Mexico?

"I'm not aware of any other one; so yes, it's in Mexico."

"We're not flying to Chicago?"

"Oh heavens no. Those plans were changed hours ago."

"By who? Why?"

"I'm not sure, but the woman who was on the plane before we took off verified the change in flight plans."

"But Cancun?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. It's a great place to relax, and who knows, you may find the love of your life."

"Thanks for the thought Angie, but I'm engaged."

Elizabeth turned and glanced down the aisle. Seeing Jack, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stood. Angie excused herself, passing Jack as he returned to his seat. She disappeared up the aisle, standing by the drink cart and watched the interaction between them.

Elizabeth had barely looked in his direction, or so he thought, since they'd boarded the plane. He was used to the looks of anger that she was repeatedly sending in his direction, so her confused expression took him by surprise.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "I mean besides the obvious?"

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" she asked.

"Chicago…" he responded, considering it a rather stupid question.

"No…" she snapped back.

"No what…?"

"No, we aren't going to Chicago. We're flying to Cancun," she informed him.

"Cancun?" Jack cocked his head to one side and threw his hands up in the air. "Well, I guess there are worse places to fly to. I personally have always wanted to go there." _**I actually wanted to take you there for our honeymoon,**_ he thought, quickly realizing that she wasn't amused.

The seatbelt light was lit by the pilot just before they entered into some slight turbulence. Unable to get back into their seats in time, both Jack and Elizabeth were thrown off balance. As she started to fall, he grabbed her around the waist while her hands held his muscular upper arms and they fell onto the sofa. Her back rested against the seat cushions as he hovered over her.

With his hands on either side of her body holding him up, their bodies were mere inches apart. His leg was between hers; the only parts of their bodies that were now touching, and as much as she fought the feelings and emotions; being that close brought back what she felt all those many years ago.

Her heart pounded as she felt his warm breath brushing across her bare collarbone; her lips were aching to be touched by his, and there was a burning desire that she'd not felt since her senior year in college.

For that moment, it was as if time stopped, and her breathing ceased but her heart continued pounding out of her chest. She averted her eyes downward, surprised that her heartbeat was not visible from the outside.

Jack's finger under her chin lifted her eyes to meet his. They were still the bluest of blues that he'd ever seen, and he swore that he could drown in them, just as easily as he could have all those many years ago.

However, her lips remained pursed; he could also see the sadness whenever she looked at him, and the emotion that he could only assume contained anger was right on the surface.

As their breaths mingled, his glance moved slowly between her eyes and her plump rosy lips. His breath hesitated; almost afraid to move for fear that she would disappear. His heart felt as though it was exploding in his chest, a feeling he hadn't experienced in many years, and certainly not since he'd been with Elizabeth.

He forgot where he was or how much time had passed between them. At that moment he was back in college with the woman he felt as though he'd been in love with all of his life as he whispered, "Eliz-a-beth," and his lips barely touched hers…

"Are you two okay?" Angie called out as she braced herself against the seats while heading up the aisle of the plane.

Elizabeth pushed Jack off of her, but barely managed with the turbulent jostling of the plane to remove herself from the sofa. She sat back down in her seat, clicked her seatbelt, looked out her window and begged her tears not to fall.

"We're fine," Jack responded, as he situated himself back on the sofa, adding the kiss to the growing number of offenses he was going to have to apologize to her for.

Elizabeth was disgusted in herself for not only allowing Jack to kiss her, but for also being upset that it ended all too soon. Although Elizabeth begged her tears not to fall, they flatly refused as her fingers brushed them away before they could flood her shirt.

The turbulence calmed and the seatbelt lights were again turned off.

"Can I get you anything…maybe a glass of wine?" Angie asked.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Jack replied.

He watched as Elizabeth unbuckled her seatbelt and made her own trek to the bathroom. He was ashamed of himself for putting her in such a precarious situation. He couldn't deny that he wanted her, and kissing her, even with just the slightest touch of their lips was like heaven to his soul.

As Elizabeth stepped out of the bathroom, Angie smiled, "You know, I was right about what I said earlier."

"Sorry…?"

"I've never made this trip to Cancun with two people alone who were not in love, and I don't know what's going on between you two, but…"

"Nothing, there's nothing between us."

Angie laughed, "You tell yourself that. The looks between you two, and what I just witnessed…well, let's just say, I believe otherwise."

Elizabeth turned around and walked back toward her seat, her head was filled with thoughts of Jack, thoughts of Aiden, and thoughts of the love she once had, wanted again, but didn't believe it would ever happen.

As she took her seat, Jack slipped over beside her, "I'm sorry."

"Jack, I don't know what you were thinking," she stated as her eyes never left the window.

"I wasn't, but somehow I think you wanted it as much as I did," he responded as she turned to glare at him.

She didn't say anything more, she simply turned away. There were so many things going through her mind; the kiss, the fact that she wanted him to kiss her, and the betrayal of Aiden's trust that she now felt.

They heard the landing gear drop into place as Jack slipped back over to his seat. Both of them watched out the window as the blue of the ocean was replaced by the sandy beaches, hotels and resorts.

Before taking her seat and buckling in for the landing, Angie walked back down the aisle. She handed Jack and Elizabeth each an envelope and stated, "These were left for you and I was instructed to give them to you just before we land."

Elizabeth took hers, recognizing the handwriting on the envelope to be Rosemary's. She ripped it open, pulled out the contents, unfolded the paper and began to read…

 _ **Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **I know that you're very angry with me right now, and to be honest, you have every right to be. I love you like a sister, and I've known for some time that there was something hurting you down deep inside. It actually had an impact on your writing, making your words pop off of the page.**_

 _ **I've asked you before if the emotion in your first book was from personal experience, and although you have continued to deny it, I am convinced that it is based off of you and Jack.**_

 _ **I know he hurt you, but you haven't talked about it and the residual feelings have been left to fester. You loved him years ago, and when you talk about him, whether you realize it or not, I think the feelings are still there.**_

 _ **I know you're engaged to Aiden, and I don't intend to compromise your relationship with him. I like him; he's a nice guy. But if you don't love him, you shouldn't marry him. And if you haven't resolved how you feel about Jack, it's not fair to carry that into a marriage with Aiden.**_

 _ **Mr. Lancaster is the one who changed the flight plan, sending you to Cancun. He doesn't know what you told me, but he is aware that there is something between you and Jack. As a result, his interest is in you resolving your issues so you can return to the computer and your writing.**_

 _ **Don't try to use your work phone, it has been disabled. Oh, and I have your personal phone.**_

 _ **Mr. Lancaster has secured you a suite at Hotel Riu Palace, a beautiful place on the water. Alejandro will be at the airport to pick you up and take you to the resort. I will be sending you both tickets to return home in a week."**_

"A week…?" Elizabeth mumbled as she glanced up and observed Jack as he ripped open his envelope. Elizabeth returned her attention to her own correspondence…

" **Please know that I love you, and I want the best for you. You will be no good to anyone if you don't resolve everything with Jack. Something tells me that he'll surprise you."**

 **Rosemary**

Angie sat in her seat at the front of the jet preparing for landing as she watched Jack and Elizabeth peruse their respective letters. She observed each one glance at the other, and at that moment she was fairly certain that Jack would never call her.

Jack unfolded the piece of paper and quickly scanned the letter…

 _ **Dear Jack,**_

 _ **I'm sure that you're pretty ticked off right now, but if you think about it, this is the opportunity you've needed to set things straight with Elizabeth. You can tell others the story that there's nothing there; that you have no feelings for her, but I truly know otherwise.**_

 _ **Don't forget who you called after going to her parent's house and finding out that she wasn't there, the letters had arrived and she had moved on. You loved her then, and no matter what you say, I suspect that you love her now.**_

 _ **Mr. Lancaster has secured her a suite…yes; you do have to stay with her. Don't forget the stalker is still out there. Speaking of which, I'll let you know when I hear back from the SFPD about the camera.**_

 _ **Your phone has been disabled, so please don't worry about work (other than protecting Elizabeth), enjoy the week, and do yourself a favor and talk to her. I'll see you next weekend!**_

 _ **Robert**_

"Next weekend…?" Jack muttered.

 _ **Back in Chicago…**_

Rosemary stepped from the tunnel into the busy gate area, knowing that at some point she would have to explain Elizabeth's absence to Aiden. However, she wasn't prepared to do it immediately.

Stepping out from the carpeted area onto the freshly waxed and shined hallway, she observed Aiden staring out the large picture window, obviously waiting on a particular chartered jet to arrive.

Seeing Rosemary's reflection in the window, Aiden turned around, "Rosemary…" he called out stopping her in her tracks.

She turned around, "Oh, hey Aiden. Did you have a nice flight?"

"It was okay; where's Elizabeth?" he asked as he glanced around. Seeing the "Ladies Room" sign up ahead, he inquired further, "Is she in the bathroom?"

"Uh, maybe…"

"Did you see her go in the bathroom, Rosemary?"

"No. She might be in the bathroom, but it's not here in Chicago."

"What are you talking about?"

"Aiden, come over here with me," she urged as they stepped into a gate area that was closed for the evening.

"Is something wrong? The stalker couldn't have gotten her, so where is she?"

"Aiden, I know Elizabeth has never told you about Jack, but they do have a past. I'm not saying that there is a present or a future, but they need to resolve what happened between them."

With each word that Rosemary spoke, Aiden's heart raced just a bit faster.

"What kind of past?

"It's not my story to tell, but I'm sure that she'll tell you everything when she gets back."

"Rosemary, where is she?"

Hating to lie, but feeling certain that telling him would ruin their attempt at getting Jack and Elizabeth to talk, she replied "I'm not sure. Mr. Lancaster made the arrangements, and she'll be back next weekend."

"You left her with Jack? What if he's the stalker; you've just hand delivered her to him. I can't believe that you did this behind my back…" Aiden screamed, drawing attention to them as travelers passed the open, but deserted gate area.

"Aiden, he's not the stal…"

He didn't wait for her to finish. He spun on his heels and headed toward the front of the airport leaving Rosemary with nothing but the cool breeze he provided as he raced away.

Rosemary pulled out her phone, "Hi, it's all done. I'm assuming that they've landed or are close. But Mr. Lancaster, her fiancé isn't happy, so be prepared. He wants to know where she is."

"I can handle him," Mr. Lancaster advised. "I don't want anything or anyone impacting her creativity. She is truly a talented writer and whatever Jack Thornton is to her past, it has certainly made for some compelling reading."

 _ **Back in Cancun…**_

It was now 8am on Monday morning. The jet landed and came to a stop on the tarmac approximately 300 feet from Gate 12. Before Elizabeth and Jack could gather their minimal belongings and reach the steps of the jet, Alejandro pulled up beside them in a black limo.

As they walked down the steps, Alejandro reached out his hand to Elizabeth.

"I've got her," Jack stated as he took several steps two by two in order to reach Elizabeth and took her arm before she stepped off the final taller step onto the tarmac.

They walked to the awaiting limo while Alejandro retrieved their bags.

Jack opened Elizabeth's door and held her hand as she slipped inside. He walked back and helped gather their bags, realizing that if they were going to be in Cancun for a week, he didn't know what Robert had packed for him, but he assumed that Elizabeth was not prepared with the appropriate clothing for the climate.

Although Elizabeth was aware of the time that had passed between them, the touch of his hand upon hers still had the same effect as it did all those many years ago. She felt a rush of excitement as her heart pounded, and the butterflies, once so familiar and welcomed, but missing for so many years, returned.

Alejandro pulled into the driveway of the resort as both Jack and Elizabeth were in awe of its size and grand presentation.

Jack held the door for Elizabeth as they stepped inside and up to the reservation desk, followed by Alejandro, with the first load of their bags.

"Alejadro son estos los invitados especiales?" the desk clerk asked. (Translation- "Alejandro are these the special guests?")

"Si," he responded. "Halsey Woodrow."

"Well, I didn't understand the question, but apparently the answer was 'yes,'" Jack whispered. "Oh, and I caught your name…well, your fake name."

"Es esta tu luna de miel?" the clerk asked, directing his question to Elizabeth. (Translation- "Is this your honeymoon?")

"Si…" she responded without knowing the question.

"OK, suite de luna de miel es…" the clerk passed the form to Jack for his signature. (Translation- "OK, Honeymoon Suite")

As both Jack and Elizabeth stood with credit cards in hand to pay, they were advised, "El proyecto de ley ya ha sido cubierto." (Translation- "The bill has already been covered.")

"Huh?" Elizabeth muttered.

The clerk smiled broadly, "Disfruta de la suite de luna de miel que no debes dinero." (Translation- "Enjoy the Honeymoon Suite. You do not owe money."

Jack looked at Alejandro, "What is he saying?"

"The bill is paid. You need no money," he replied. Alejandro neglected to add that Elizabeth had answered in the affirmative when asked if they were on their honeymoon.

As Jack and Elizabeth headed for the elevator, Alejandro advised that the remainder of their bags would be brought to their room.

As Jack and Elizabeth disappeared into the elevator, Alejandro turned to the desk clerk, "You speak English. Why were you messing with them?"

"I just like to see the look of confusion on their faces," the clerk stated. "She said that they are on their honeymoon, so I'll have champagne and some food taken up to their room as a gesture of good faith."

They walked into the room and the stress Elizabeth felt at the change in plans disappeared when she stepped out onto her balcony that overlooked the Caribbean Sea.

"Jack, this is beautiful," she stated as her thoughts were of the crystal clear beach on the Gulf of Mexico, and shopping for some appropriate clothing. She was embarrassed and wouldn't admit it if she had been asked, but since leaving San Francisco, she had thought very little about Aiden.

She walked back inside and checked out the rest of the suite. Luckily each one had their own bedroom which contained a balcony. Elizabeth jumped on the bed, officially "calling" this as her room. She was quite excited by the open bathtub only steps away from the bed. Additionally, her balcony contained a hot tub. There were also sliding glass doors from the living area that led to the deck overlooking the pool and beach.

Jack's room, just across from Elizabeth's consisted of a king size bed, living room area with a sofa and a balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea. _**Not a bad work environment…**_

A knock at the door drew Jack's attention. Upon opening the door, he found the rest of their luggage sitting just outside the room.

"Do you have any shorts and a bathing suit?" she called out.

"I don't know what Robert packed for me," he stated as he grabbed his bag and rifled through his belongings.

Apparently, since Robert knew their destination, he packed appropriately. Elizabeth on the other hand, was happy to use this as a reason to shop for new clothing.

She grabbed her purse and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Shopping…"

"Okay, let's go."

"Jack, you don't need to come with me."

"Yes I do. I'm still protecting you," he stated as he followed her out the door and toward the first of many dress shops.

Jack sat patiently while she looked from clothing round to racks to tables, holding each item she picked before carrying them to the dressing room. There was something about holding the clothing that would soon be pressed against her skin that stirred something in him, a desire that he honestly hadn't experienced in years, six years to be exact.

Jack had dated beautiful women since separating from Elizabeth, but none held his interest, or sparked that overpowering desire in him that he felt when he was with her.

Waiting on her to try on bathing suits, and sundresses was both Heaven on Earth and excruciating. He took a deep breath as she walked into the dressing room with several bathing suits, sundresses, a cover up, shorts and tops. He paced the floor, repeating over and over in his head 'be professional.'

With each dress she modeled in front of the mirror he felt his heart skip a beat, and it became quite personal to him. Then there were the bathing suits. Jack quickly admitted to himself that he was ill prepared for the vision when she stepped out wearing a white bikini with a blousy coral halter top. A few minutes later she stepped out wearing the tropical print bikini and although he was not a doctor, he felt certain that he was having a stroke. Then she further blew his mind with a blue and white striped bikini. At that point he was pretty much done!

"Do you like this one or one of the other ones better?" she asked.

He was almost stunned, unable to move any part of his body except his eyes, and they slowly moved up and down.

Elizabeth giggled, "Are you breathing?" she asked, quite pleased with the reaction her selection received from Jack, and two other men who were shopping in the store. "Okay, I'll get all of them."

He barely caught his breath before she stepped back into the dressing room, returning with all of the items she chose to purchase.

Fifteen minutes later, they walked out of the mall with three bags containing several pairs of shorts, three shirts, numerous sundresses, three bathing suits, two bikinis and a one piece, a cover up, a pair of sandals and a flowery pair of flip flops.

Jack happily carried all of her bags back to the room and sat them down on her bed. "I'm hungry; let's go get some breakfast."

"Can you wait for me to change?" she asked.

Having seen the dresses she purchased, he was fairly certain that food would no longer be on his mind if she changed. "Sure, I'll wait," he stated as he realized that no matter what she wore, he'd totally lose track of everything but her.

Sitting on the sofa, his back was toward her when she stepped out of her bedroom.

Hearing her entering the room, he stood and turned around, "Where did that dress come from?" he asked, totally taken by her in a tropical print sundress, with cap sleeves that fell over her shoulders and spaghetti straps that crossed on her open back.

"This one was a surprise…" she smiled.

"A pleasant one…" he whispered.

"What…?"

"Uh, nothing…"

They stepped out into the hall, closed the door behind them and headed for the restaurant downstairs.

They secured a table outside with a scenic view of the water. Elizabeth seemed mesmerized by the gentle waves, soft white caps and hypnotizing sounds. Jack, on the other hand, was mesmerized by her.

She turned in her seat to face him, "How's your mom?" she asked.

"She's good."

"And Tom? Is he okay?"

"Yea, he's fine. He married Bella; do you remember her?" he asked.

She said nothing but shook her head up and down in acknowledgement.

"They have two kids," he added.

"That's nice; I'm sure your mom's happy."

"She is, but she's after me to…" he began, but stopped in mid sentence as Elizabeth looked over and caught his glance. "Uh, you know…"

"You're still young," she stated as she returned her attention out onto the water. "I'm sure you'll find the woman of your dreams and give your mom plenty of grandchildren," she mumbled as her eyes never looked away from the happiness and joy she observed on the beach.

"I thought I had…" he mumbled.

With breakfast complete and the small talk out of the way, they left the restaurant and strolled along the boardwalk.

It was easy enough to see that love was rampant on the shores of Cancun. As Elizabeth glanced out onto the crowded beach, she could count on one hand the number of people who seemed to be without a significant other. Sadly, she felt as though she was one of them.

Each one knew the reason they were sent to Cancun, but neither one wanted to be the one to break the ice. Jack and Elizabeth were at least being civil with one another, but the wrong word, or phrase, or accusation could send things spiraling out of control.

They made their way back to the resort with Elizabeth indicating a need to do some work; however, Jack suspected that she simply wasn't ready to talk.

"I thought we were supposed to have some fun while we're here," he mentioned.

"I'm not leaving the room. Feel free to go exploring," she suggested.

"I'm not leaving you alone," his tone was firm.

"Jack, no one even knows I'm here."

"No, we'll stay here for now, but tonight we're going out to dinner; a nice dinner…"

Elizabeth grabbed her bag, laptop computer and a bottle of water before excusing herself. Jack watched as she so gracefully walked out onto the deck.

She took a seat, and without any intention of performing actual work, she opened her journal. It had been quite some time since she had flipped through her prior entries, perusing her words and the underlying meaning of them.

She came upon one entry, in the beginning of her book, dated thirteen months ago, just before she began dating Aiden, and she started to read…

" _ **No matter how hard life gets, I believe that someone who truly loves you will never simply walk away, as the ties that bind would be too difficult to sever. However, when it does occur, one person seems able to move on, having no difficulty, leaving the other one to wonder why; what had they done wrong; what could they have done differently, and would it have even mattered?**_

 _ **When one person walks away, you find yourself begging, pleading for them to stay. Your heart breaks when you realize that the world you thought of as perfect has now blown up in your face. You're angry, hurt, disappointed and sad. You tell yourself that you are so much better off without them, without their selfish kind of love, but do you really believe? Do you honestly think that you can forget?**_

 _ **I'm a hopeless romantic, or maybe I'm simply hopeless. I dream of the wonders of love, that overpowering sense of excitement; that look that only he can give that soothes your soul and makes our heart pound. Does that kind of love even exist?**_

 _ **My judgment is skewed; I don't trust easily, and I fear the kind of hurt I have already experienced. I have to realize that I am human, just like others I make mistakes. Although I want desperately to be drunk on love, I can't expect someone else to fix my brokenness, nor can I expect to find what I thought I once had."**_

Elizabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Somehow the air felt cleaner, crisper and she prayed that her time there would help to clear her mind. With her eyes still closed, she flipped farther into her journal. Opening her eyes she began to read…

" _ **Is it possible to love two men at one time? If not, how do I move on with one when my heart regrettably still belongs to another? I want to be happy, to rejoice in these new feelings, emotions, but there remains sadness as well.**_

 _ **The saddest emotional connection is one where one or both parties are rebounding from a prior love. You use one person to unlove another and there is nothing pure or honest about what your new relationship is or will ever be. You enter into the relationship damaged; carrying an unhealed bond you have with someone else. There is a toxic nature to the new relationship, and until you release one, you can never truly move on with another."**_

Hearing music blaring from the outside club at the resort, Elizabeth listened, fairly certain that the Camila Cabello song "Consequences" was hers and Jack's theme song….

 _ **Dirty tissues, trust issues  
Glasses on the sink, they didn't fix you  
Lonely pillows in a strangers bed  
Little voices in my head  
Secret keeping, stop the bleeding  
Lost a little weight because I wasn't eating  
All the souls that I can't listen to, to tell the truth**_

 _ **Loving you was young, and wild, and free  
Loving you was cool, and hot, and sweet  
Loving you was sunshine, safe and sound  
A steady place to let down my defenses  
But loving you had consequences**_

Doing her best to tune out the rest of the song, she stood up and walked over to the railing. Glancing out onto the Caribbean Sea, she wondered how one person, one person who apparently didn't care about her could still impact her after all these years.

Jack sat just inside watching. His eyes watered as she stood at the railing wiping hers. He knew that she had moved on, and seemed happy with Aiden, but he couldn't deny the hurt he felt at knowing that she didn't care about him any longer.

She stepped inside; her eyes were red and she looked exhausted. "I'm going to take a nap," she advised as she walked passed him doing her best not to touch any part of his body on the way by.

As her hip brushed against his upper arm she couldn't help wanting to touch more of him, wanting to feel his touch upon her.

"Elizabeth," he whispered, feeling his own electrical impulses, and desire for more.

She stopped but didn't turn around. Suddenly thinking of Aiden, and what must be going on in his mind, she replied, "I can't do this now. I'm exhausted." She continued into her room, closing the door behind her.

As a tear slipped down his cheek, Jack stood in the middle of the room, "I still love you," he whispered.

He sat back down on the sofa, rested his head in his hands and wondered how any woman, no, not just any woman, how Elizabeth still held such a tight hold on his heart after all these years. He knew she would never feel about him what she once did, but he was determined to relieve himself of the burden of holding his feeling inside. He knew that he would never be able to move on if he didn't tell her.

Jack called downstairs, "I'd like to make arrangements for dinner tonight."

"Mr. Thornton, we'll take care of everything. We have a reservation for you and your wife at 7pm."

Jack knew that the clerk had the information wrong, but somehow hearing Elizabeth referred to as his wife brought an honest smile to his face. He walked back to his bedroom and looked through his bag for something appropriate to wear. Only finding jeans, and being unable to leave the room, he made a call and within 30 minutes there was a knock on the door.

"Mr. Thornton?"

"Yes, WOW, did you bring the entire store?"

The salesman laughed, "No sir, just pick what you like and I'll take the rest back with me."

With Elizabeth sound asleep in the other room, Jack tried on and kept a pair of khaki slacks, dark blue trousers, several shirts and a new pair of board shorts.

At 4 pm, Elizabeth stepped out of her room and found the suite empty. Knocking on Jack's closed door she heard nothing. Turning the handle, she quietly stepped inside and found him curled up in bed asleep, a copy of her book opened to page 421…

" **Life will never be the same; love will never be the same, and I fear that my heart will never heal. You've hurt me worse than words can express, leaving me with an ache that I feel certain will never subside. Please know that I wish you no harm, but forgiveness, I suspect, will never be possible."**

As she placed the book back down on the bed, Jack sensed someone in the room. He reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled her down onto the bed.

"Jack, it's me…" she cried out as he rolled over taking her with him. They came to a stop with him hovering over her, straddling her hips.

"Jack let me up…"

He rolled back over allowing her to slip out from underneath him, "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you. The suite was so quiet, and I didn't know where you were," she replied. She started back toward the door, "Do you still want to go out for dinner?"

"Yes; what time is it?"

"It's around 4:30…"

"I called and we have reservations for 7; is that okay?"

"Sounds good. I'll let you get back to sleep. I didn't mean to bother you," she advised. Before stepping out into the hallway, she added, "I'm going to try out that bathtub in my room. They have lilac and lemon bubble bath…my favorite. See you later."

As the door closed so did his eyes. He released a frustrated breath realizing that he'd get no sleep knowing that she was just across the hall, naked and soaking in a bubble bath.

He tossed and turned, finally sitting up in bed and returning to her book after realizing that sleep was escaping him.

 _ **Back in Chicago… Phantom Books Office**_

"May I help you sir?" the receptionist asked

"I want to see Mr. Lancaster and I'm not leaving until I do."

"Your name, sir?"

"Aiden Prescott…"

"Please take a seat and I'll let him know you're here."

The receptionist stepped away from her desk unaware that Aiden was following her. When she stepped into Mr. Lancaster's office, Aiden pushed the door open wide and walked inside.

"Sir, you need to wait…"

"Rachael," Mr. Lancaster called out, "Close the door behind you. I suspect that Mr. Prescott and I have a few things to discuss."

Before the door closed, Aiden confronted Elizabeth's publisher, "Where is she?"

"She's taking some time to get her head straight."

"Straight from what?"

"Apparently there's some emotional things going on in her life and I just want her to have some time to understand and work them out."

"What things…and who are you to send her away and not tell me where she is. I'm her fiancé…"

"She's safe; Mr. Thornton is with her."

"I need to be able to reach her, but her phone is dead."

"Mr. Prescott, I assure you that Elizabeth is fine and she'll be home this coming weekend."

Glancing down on Mr. Lancaster's desk Aiden observed a print out from Hotel Riu Palace in Cancun.

Armed with minimal information, Aiden left and immediately made flight arrangements to Cancun.

 _ **Back in Cancun…**_

At 6:45, Jack stepped out of his room wearing a pair of khaki pants and a green button down shirt with rolled up sleeves. He stood out on the balcony waiting for her to come out of her room.

Hearing the door open, he turned around. "WOW, you look beautiful."

The compliment, which caused her to smile, took her back so many years ago when she used to believe what he said.

He held open the door as they stepped out into the hall. Taking the elevator downstairs they walked into the beautiful onsite restaurant and stepped up to the hostess.

"Good evening; don't you two look lovely tonight."

"Thank you. We have a reservation under the name Thornton."

"Oh yes, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton, we have you set up outside…" she stated as she grabbed their menus and started for the gazebo overlooking the water.

"Wait, we're not…" Elizabeth began to advise that they were not married, but with the restaurant noise, the hostess didn't hear her.

They were seated in a beautiful white gazebo with a dome top and sheer curtains pulled back and attached to the four pillars.

"Jack, this is beautiful, but it's not appropriate. I shouldn't be here with you."

"Elizabeth, its just dinner. I'm not sure where they got the idea that we were married, but I'll take this view any day," he stated as he stared at her while she looked out over the water.

During dinner, each one consumed some alcohol, assuming that in wine there is truth. They talked about work, family and then the topic of her book entered the conversation.

"We need to talk," Jack stated; his voice was soft and hesitant. He knew what he wanted to say, but wasn't certain how she would accept it.

"I know, but I just don't know if I can. It's been so long; so much water under the bridge, maybe too much."

Without thinking, Jack reached across the table and placed his hand over hers, "I have to believe that it's never too late."

Feeling nervous, Elizabeth slid her hand out from under his.

"Elizabeth is your book about us, our story?" he asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"Charlotte…Thorne, and how much he hurt her."

"Well, for your information, the name, Charlotte, came from Charlottesville, and well Thorne is a popular name in romance novels."

"It sounds very much like what happened between us…"

"Jack, did you think that I was so hopelessly in love that I couldn't get over you? It may have taken a while, but I managed to put you behind me. Aiden is a good man, and he loves me…"

"Excuse me sir…ma'am, we have music inside, but if you are interested, I can pipe it out here to you."

"No…" she stated.

"Yes…" he replied.

Within a few moments, the music began; softly playing as the waves gently rushed the shore.

Jack stood up and held out his hand, "Please dance with me."

"I can't," she stated as her heart, remembering the love she'd felt for him told her to jump into his arms, but visions of Aiden flashed in her head. "It's not right. I'm engaged."

"I know you're engaged. Just one song for old time's sake…" he begged, his hand still held out, feeling lonely until her fingers rested in his palm.

"Just one song," her voice was soft as he helped her up and escorted her away from the table.

Both started moving to the music, as the Camila Cabello song, "Never Be The Same" began…

 _ **Something must've gone wrong in my brain  
Got your chemicals all in my veins  
Feeling all the highs, feel all the pain  
Let go of the wheel, it's the borderline  
Now I'm seeing red, not thinking straight  
Blurring all the lines, you intoxicate me**_

 _ **Just like nicotine, rushin' me, touching me  
Suddenly, I'm a fiend and you're all I need  
All I need, yeah, you're all I need**_

 _ **It's you, babe  
And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe  
And I could try to run, but it would be useless  
You're to blame  
Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same  
It's you, babe  
And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe  
And I could try to run, but it would be useless  
You're to blame  
Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same  
I'll never be the same  
I'll never be the same  
I'll never be the same**_

 _ **Sneaking in L.A. when the lights are low  
Off of one touch, I could overdose  
He said, "Stop playing it safe  
Girl, I wanna see you lose control"**_

 _ **Just like nicotine, rushin' me, touching me  
Suddenly, I'm a fiend and you're all I need  
All I need, yeah, you're all I need**_

 _ **It's you, babe  
And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe  
And I could try to run, but it would be useless  
You're to blame  
Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same  
It's you, babe  
And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe  
And I could try to run, but it would be useless  
You're to blame  
Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same  
I'll never be the same  
I'll never be the same  
I'll never be the same**_

 _ **You're in my blood, you're in my veins, you're in my head (I blame)  
You're in my blood, you're in my veins, you're in my head (I'm sayin')**_

 _ **It's you, babe  
And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe  
And I could try to run, but it would be useless  
You're to blame (you're to blame)  
Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same (I'll never be the)  
It's you, babe  
And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe  
And I could try to run, but it would be useless  
You're to blame  
Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same.**_

Elizabeth found it to feel quite natural to be in his arms again. His hand pressed lightly against the soft skin as one hand rested on her lower back while the other, held her hand tightly against his chest.

Jack closed his eyes as he found comfort in her head resting on his shoulder and he wondered if she could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Not only could he feel it, but each beat was also throbbing in his ears.

His mouth literally ached to touch hers, fighting back the urge to lift her face with a finger under her chin until meeting the pillow soft lips that he had been unable to forget about.

For a moment, much like the one she experienced earlier, she wasn't thinking of Aiden, or even remembering the fact that she was engaged. She remembered loving the man who was holding her in his arms, and she ached for the love that they once shared.

The warmth spread through her limbs as she felt him hold her just a bit tighter, remembering how safe she always felt with him…that was until he walked away from her. Suddenly the anger began to build; she remembered the sadness; she remembered the pain; she remembered him telling her to move on.

As her eyes watered, Elizabeth pushed back against his chest.

Jack held her upper arms as he looked into her eyes, "What's wrong?"

"This is wrong. We had our chance, and I can't blame you if I wasn't who you wanted, but I have Aiden now. I'm sorry Jack; I'm sorry…"

Elizabeth turned around and started running toward the water. With her own tears falling, she felt as though hers rivaled the waves crashing onshore.

"Elizabeth, wait…" he called out, but knowing that she was not stopping, he ran after her.

Along the shore he caught her, taking her arm and turning her around, causing her to face him.

"Elizabeth, please we need to talk…"

"No Jack, we don't. We needed to talk six years ago when you walked out of my life; we needed to talk when you said that you loved me, but out of the clear blue you walked away, and we needed to talk when you left me with nothing, no letters, no phone calls, no explanation…NOTHING…" she turned and continued walking down the beach.

Initially Jack stood still; what she had to say was hard to hear, paralyzing in fact, but he knew that she needed to release her anger.

She continued down the beach as he ran up behind her and grabbed her hand, stopping her forward motion. "Don't run away from me. I messed up and I'm so sorry that I hurt you, but I broke my own heart too. We have our second chance; we can't let it get away."

"I hate you, Jack…you walked away; you left me to pick up the pieces of a life I had dreamed of for so long, with a man I had loved for what seemed like forever."

She pulled away from him and turned to the water, "You want to talk; well this is how I feel. You left me. Instead of telling me that you didn't love me, you led me on only to rip my heart out. Not again; you don't get another chance…"

"I loved you then…Elizabeth, I love you now…"

Elizabeth threw her hands up in the air, "Stop it, Jack. You don't get to enter my life after six years and tell me that you made a mistake. I did what you asked; I moved on. I went through Hell, but I put you and what I thought we had behind me."

"Do you love Aiden?"

"He loves me."

"That's not what I asked. Do you love him?"

"He's good to me."

"You're not answering the question."

"It's none of your business," Elizabeth snapped back as she took off her sandals and continued down the beach. She only walked twenty feet ahead before he caught up again, grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"You've had your say; now it's my turn," he stated as he held her arms, and although she initially struggled, he refused to let her go. "You need to hear what I have to say."

"I was wrong Elizabeth. I was twenty two years old, and I didn't know how to handle the hurt of losing Lucas. In my mind I was no good for you, and I didn't want you feeling obligated to wait for me."

"I would have waited for you…"

"I didn't know if I was coming back. I thought walking away then was better than having you wait and having to deal with me possibly being killed in action."

"Jack, don't you realize that it was basically the same hurt? It was as if you died. If you had written, or called or come to see me, I would have proudly waited…"

"But…wait, did you say that I didn't write you?"

"You didn't. Oh wait, I tore up your letter without reading it."

"Letter?"

"Yes the letter you sent me when you left."

"Elizabeth, I sent you a dozen letters and I came to see you when I returned from Boot Camp."

"Jack, don't lie to me; the whole deceit thing is not a good look on you," she stated as she turned back toward the water.

"I'm not lying, Elizabeth. I spoke to your dad. He told me that you had received the letters and that you had moved on. He even told me that you were dating and to please leave you alone," Jack stated as his own tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Elizabeth," he turned her back toward him, "I wanted to talk to you; I needed to talk to you. I had to tell you that I was in love with you, and I was so sorry that I'd hurt you," he stated as his fingers brushed away several tears as the perfect droplets rolled down her cheeks.

Jack pulled her into his chest, "I never moved on Elizabeth; whether you believe me or not, you will always be the woman that I love."

"Why would my father keep your letters from me?"

"I don't know."

Elizabeth suddenly looked deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Jack, my mom came to visit me after I moved to Chicago, and she…"

"She what?"

"She brought me my mail that hadn't been forwarded," she glanced out onto the water.

"Okay…"

Looking back in his direction she continued, "No Jack; you don't understand. She gave me my mail and she started talking. She specifically asked me about you. I was still so angry and I told her that I never wanted to hear from you again."

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry…"

"My mom said, 'your other mail, stuff you don't need or want, your dad got rid of.' I assumed she meant junk mail. I didn't expect letters from you; if I'd known…" she took her hands and covered her face as it was easy to see that she was crying.

Wiping her own eyes, Jack took hold of her hands as his lips kissed her thumbs, tasting the saltiness of her tears.

Standing face to face, as their foreheads rested on each other, their lips mere inches apart, Jack, unable to stop himself, leaned in, his lips pressing gently against hers. He felt her lips soften immediately upon his touch as her hands moved up his arms and over his shoulders, her fingers tangling in the hair at the back of his neck. His arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her in close to his body.

Elizabeth pulled back, "No, no, no, no, no…I can't do this," she cried before covering her mouth with her hand.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

"I'm engaged Jack. I'm not free to make these kinds of choices. I won't do that to Aiden. I made a promise to him," she turned back toward the water, feeling the sting of the wind against her tear stained face.

"Wait," he pulled her back to him, "You aren't still going to marry him, are you?"

"Jack, I made a promise to him."

He looked stunned, "Elizabeth, you make a promise to meet someone after work for a drink; you make a promise to go with your friends to a movie; you don't make a promise to marry someone if you don't love them. So do you?"

"Jack…"

"Elizabeth, I love you and you couldn't have kissed me like that if you didn't love me too. Do you love him?"

"Jack, it's not that easy…" unable to look him in the eye she turned away.

Jack stepped up behind her; his warm breath on her skin felt as though his lips were touching her, "Elizabeth, when he kisses you, do you feel the butterflies? Do you feel the excitement; the desire to give up everything for that one moment in time? Does your blood warm and your skin tingle when his fingers move up your arm?" His fingers started at her wrists and slowly worked their way up her arms to her shoulders.

Her eyes closed as she felt every sensation in her body upon his touch.

He leaned in, squeezing her shoulders, "Do you dream about him at night, wishing that he was lying in bed beside you? And do you close your eyes and feel his warm breath on your neck?"

Just the thought of Aiden's lips on hers, and his fingers stroking her skin took Jack's breath away and felt much like his heart being ripped from his chest.

"Jack, it's not like that for everyone."

His hand on her upper arm turned her around to face him, "It should be. It was like that for us. Just now, you kissed me back, Elizabeth. I know you still feel it. You shouldn't settle for less."

He brushed tears away from her face, "I'm going to ask you again…do you love him…? If you do; if you honestly love him, I'll back away. But Elizabeth, I don't think you love him the way you love me."

She lowered her head and as her tears continued she whispered, "No. I thought I did."

"What changed your mind?" he softly spoke as his hands cradled her face and his lips brushed across her forehead.

"You…it's always been you. I wanted to hate you, and I thought with Aiden I could finally put you out of my mind, but then you came back into my life. I never stopped loving you, Jack…"

With the truth finally spoken, his arms slipped around her waist, and he pulled her close. Their bodies touched and although many years had passed the feelings remained the same, if not stronger, as they had denied them for so long.

The sun began to set over the water and under the beautiful orange sky, their lips met. It was warm, familiar and more exciting than either one anticipated.

Her mouth opened as his tongue pressed through her lips. He remembered the soft skin and sensitive areas on the inside of her mouth and how her body would come to life as his tongue would brush across them. Again and again their lips met, each time more passionate than the last as they both found themselves in tears.

"Jack, I do love you, but this is wrong. I need to talk to Aiden; I need to explain everything…"

"And you need to give him his engagement ring back," he quickly commented.

Jack held out his hand, "Let's go back to the room."

"Jack…"

"Elizabeth, I'm not implying anything. You look chilly…"

She put her hand in his and they started back toward the resort.

Once inside, Jack found a bottle of champagne in a bucket, and cheeses, chocolate covered strawberries and grapes on a platter sitting on the table with a note from the management, "Enhorabuena por tu boda." (Congratulations on your wedding).

"What's that?" Elizabeth asked as they both approached the table.

"Hmm, I think it says congratulations for your book," Jack replied, having no idea how to translate Spanish.

They popped open the bottle of champagne and Jack poured two glasses. They stepped out onto the deck and stood by the railing looking out into the darkness while listening to the waves rushing the shore.

Standing side by side, Jack put his arm around her waist and pulled her as close to him as space would allow. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just a little nervous. Aiden has been good to me; kind, thoughtful, encouraging, even when I knew that he wasn't really happy about all of my travelling," she responded before releasing a harsh breath. "I just don't want to hurt him."

He pulled her a little bit closer as her head rested on his chest. Jack kissed the top of her head, "I love you; remember that," he whispered.

"I know, and I'm going to hold you to that," she replied. Putting her glass down on the table she kissed his cheek, "I'm tired, I'm going to bed…"

"I'll see you in the morning," he responded as she walked away, their hands touching as their fingertips brushed across their palms, eventually separating. He watched as she walked back inside and around the corner to her room.

Jack stared out into the darkness, a smile on his face, and a sense of calm in his heart that he hadn't felt in years. Feeling tired himself; he eventually grabbed her glass of champagne, brought them both inside and headed for his own bedroom.

As he walked down the hall, he stood quietly in her open doorway, watching as she slept. He remembered all those years ago how she wanted to wait until marriage to be intimate with him, but many years had passed and he couldn't help but wonder if she had slept with Aiden. The answer wouldn't really matter as he was happier at this moment than he remembered being since college.

He slipped across the hall into his bedroom removed his khakis and dress shirt, and laid them across the foot of his bed. He slipped into a pair of shorts, pulled back the covers and slid into bed. He laid there with his eyes wide open, staring at the door, unable to sleep.

Jack got out of bed, opened his door, giving him a view of Elizabeth's room and returned to bed.

Elizabeth's sleep was broken as she woke to darkness while thoughts of Jack and Aiden filled her head. She slipped out of bed and walked into the living area where she retrieved her bag containing her journal and then walked back to her room.

She propped the pillows against the headboard of her bed, leaned against them, opened her journal and she felt suddenly empty. Even with all the thoughts, feelings and emotions going through her head, her hand shook, making it impossible to get the words down on paper.

She closed her eyes, and thought of her time with Aiden. If Jack hadn't come back into her life, would she have honestly felt the love for him that should be between a husband and wife, or was she simply settling, as Jack suggested, in an attempt to forget him.

She hated to hurt him; she didn't want anyone to ever feel the anger and fury she felt when he simply walked away without an explanation. As difficult as it would be, when she returned home, she decided that a clean break and full disclosure would be required.

Suddenly the words began to cover the page, almost as if she wasn't the one writing them, her hand apparently having a mind of its own…

" _ **As we mature and move out into the world, we realize that there are two kinds of people we encounter...those who choose to stay temporarily and others who remain for a lifetime. Even those who breeze in and out of our lives so quickly that we barely recall their presence have an impact on us. Those who stay a bit longer help us through hard times; often teaching us valuable lessons about hope, appreciation and self worth.**_

 _ **They enter our lives, not intending to leave so suddenly. Although we care about them, and would never want to hurt them, our heart doesn't beat special for them. No matter how hard we wish for it to happen, the pounding of our heart is for another, and no one is really to blame. No, that's not correct…I accept the blame for never having told you about him…about Jack.**_

 _ **You know, sometimes, if we're are lucky and blessed, a special person will enter our life and even after they leave, they have touched us so profoundly that they continue to have a hold on our heart. They are our missing puzzle piece to life, and no matter how happy, successful or content we profess to be, that hole in our picture is devastating.**_

 _ **I love you, my friend, and I appreciate you more than you will ever know, but I will never be able to give you what you need. For you see, my heart belongs to another and although I offered it to you, it was truly never mine to give away."**_

Elizabeth closed her journal and laid it beside her on the bed. As she cried, tears of both happiness and despair, she slipped out of bed walked across the hall and stood in Jack's doorway.

She grabbed his dress shirt from the foot of the bed, and walked out. Stepping back into her room she took off her t-shirt, slipped his on, and buttoned it down the front. She grabbed each side of the collar and pulled it up to her face, inhaling deeply. It was him, his scent; the only she'd really remembered fondly for all of those years.

She walked out into the den area and stood by the sliding glass door. Opening his eyes as she walked past his bedroom, Jack jumped up, grabbed for his shirt, but not finding it he walked out into the den in just his shorts.

He stood at the entrance to the room and watched her, the beauty he always remembered her to be, standing in his shirt and he could barely breathe. He couldn't help but to be a bit jealous of his shirt which was touching intimate parts of her body, places he had dreamed of touching but knew that he couldn't, or rather that he shouldn't, but oh how he wanted to.

He walked up behind her, his reflection showing in the crystal clear full length glass door, and his arms slipped around her waist as his lips made contact with the soft skin on her neck. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She turned around to face him, "I am now," as her lips covered his. The kiss was deep and passionate; as their wants and desires eventually took a backseat to what was proper and appropriate.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"Don't ever apologize for kissing me like that."

"Jack, until I talk to Aiden, us…this is so wrong, but I truly can't help myself."

"Well, after the sun comes up, let's use the resort phone and get tickets back to Chicago."

"You're going home with me?"

"Elizabeth, you aren't talking to Aiden alone; of course I'm going with you."

"Jack, I appreciate that you want to come with me, but I need to do this alone. I mean, I'd love for you to come back to Chicago, but I need you to give me some time alone with Aiden."

"Elizabeth, I don't feel comfortable with you being alone with him. After all, your stalker is still out there."

"Jack, he's not going to hurt me."

"I hope not, but I'm just not so sure."

Jack took Elizabeth's hand and walked her down the hall, stopping at the entrance to her bedroom. As she stepped into the room, she held onto his hand, refusing to let it go.

"Eliz-a-beth…"

"Jack, I know this is wrong, but I just don't want to be alone."

He pulled her back out into the den as they sat side by side on the sofa. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as her head rested on his chest.

Several hours later, with the sun barely up in the sky; there was a knock on the door.

Elizabeth woke to find Jacks arms still around her as his head rested on the arm of the sofa. She slipped out from under his hold and realizing how she was dressed, she called out, "Just a second…"

She ran into her room and grabbed her t-shirt, tossing Jack his shirt on her way by. "Jack, someone's at the door."

Jack jumped up and quickly put his shirt on, "Elizabeth, let me get it."

Looking through the peephole, Elizabeth observed Aiden standing in the hallway. As Jack approached she pulled open the door and Aiden rushed inside, taking her into his arms.

"Are you okay? No one would tell me anything. Why are you two here?" Aiden kept asking questions, yet gave her no opportunity to answer. He held Elizabeth's hand and pulled her in for a kiss, obviously unconcerned about Jack's close proximity to them.

"Let's go talk…" Elizabeth suggested. "Let me change and I'll be right out," she stated before disappearing into her bedroom and closing the door behind her. She changed her clothes, reached into her suitcase and grabbed her engagement ring, slipping it into her pocket.

As the two men stood in the den awaiting Elizabeth's return, Aiden mentioned how he'd like to bring Elizabeth to a resort like this for their honeymoon, a comment that had Jack almost feeling sorry for him.

"Are you any closer to finding her stalker?" Aiden asked.

"We're close," Jack stated as Elizabeth walked out in a pair of shorts and a tank top.

For good measure, Aiden wrapped Elizabeth in his arms, "Oh baby, you look so good. I've missed you so much."

Elizabeth gently pushed her body away from him, "Aiden, I saw you two days ago."

"You know I love waking up with you in my arms."

Glancing back at Jack before returning to Aiden she asked, "What are you talking about?"

Aiden grabbed her arm, "Let's go out." He turned to Jack, "You aren't coming, right?"

Jack was torn. He knew he should stay with her, but she had already told him that she needed time alone with Aiden to explain, to break up and to return his ring.

As the door closed, and Jack realized that he should not have allowed her out of his sight, he decided to go after her.

Within minutes, it appeared that they had vanished. As he ran through the lobby, Jose, the desk clerk called out, "Mr. Thornton, there is a call for you."

"Hello…"

"Jack, it's me…"

"Hey Robert, I'm kind of busy. Do you have any information?"

"Yes, but how is everything going for you and Elizabeth?" Robert asked as Jack stepped out in the front of the resort still looking for her.

"We've talked, and…"

"And what?"

"We're back together, but her…oh damn; I don't even know what to call him. Her soon to be ex showed up here and she left to talk to him."

"Okay, well, this is the information I have; the camera had nothing to do with Elizabeth. All of the lights have cameras attached as that is how they monitor the hallways. However, that particular camera was malfunctioning and was not rotating as it was supposed to."

"Okay, so are we back to square one?" Jack asked.

"Not exactly. The camera wasn't moving, but it was filming. So it did take pictures of a person who appeared to be slipping that latest letter under the door."

"Who is it?" Jack seemed quite anxious.

"I don't have a name, but I'm sending a picture to your phone."

"That won't do me any good. Did you forget that my phone is disabled?"

"Oh Jack, I just told you that. Turn it back on and you'll have the picture."

Jack ran to the elevator, anxious as it seemed to take forever for the elevator to reach his floor. He rushed to the room, slipped inside and grabbed his phone from the bottom of his bag.

As his phone powered up, he heard ding after ding after ding, signaling multiple incoming notifications. Pushing the one from Robert he was stunned…

"That's Aiden!"

To be continued…

 _ **NOTE: To those who follow the facebook fan fiction sites, there will be pictures posted shortly…**_


	6. Chapter 6- The Getaway

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 6- The Getaway  
**_

On their way passed the reservation desk, Elizabeth turned toward the hotel restaurant. Aiden grabbed her arm, "I have a taxi waiting."

"Can't we get some coffee first?"

"No, we need to get out of here. We'll stop somewhere for breakfast; you can get your coffee then."

"Aiden, can't we talk here?"

"The car is waiting on us; come on," his voice was bold, overheard by several people standing around.

As he opened the taxi door, he stated to the driver, "Take us to Puerto Morelos."

Jack ran out of the room and to the elevator. Feeling as though it was taking a lifetime to reach his floor, he darted through the entrance to the stairwell, skipping steps in each flight as he ran through the door in the lobby and back to Jose at the reservation desk.

"Did you see this man?" Jack held up his phone.

"Yes, he and his wife just left in a taxi," Jose advised.

"That's not his wife; how did he get our room number?"

"I'm sorry; he said that he was married to her and since she was in the Honeymoon Suite, I just assumed…"

"You assumed wrong. Didn't you think it odd that she was in the Honeymoon Suite and he wasn't already with her?"

"I'm sorry…I'm new here; please don't tell my supervisor."

"You'd better pray that he doesn't hurt her…" Jack yelled as he ran out the door.

Pacing along the oval entryway, Jack's eyes darted from one direction to the next, not certain what he was looking for, but knowing that he had to do something.

"Excuse me," a woman stepped outside and called out to Jack.

"Yes ma'am," his tone was curt, although he didn't mean for it to be.

"Are you looking for the pretty brunette in shorts and tank top?" she asked.

His tone quickly changed, "Yes ma'am; did you see where they went?"

"Well, I saw her moving toward the restaurant inside, but he pulled her out the door."

"Do you know where they went?" he practically begged her for information.

"I'm sorry, I'm not from here, but it sounded something like Punta Morealis."

"Could it have been Puerto Morelos?" he suggested.

"Yes, that's it…Puerto Morelos."

"Thank you so much for the information," Jack replied just before jumping into a cab and heading out on the one hour drive to the quiet fishing village.

"Hurry…" Jack yelled out… "Por favor," he quickly added.

As Jack drove away the woman's husband walked outside, "Why did you get involved?"

"I did it because it was the right thing to do. That woman didn't look happy going with him. This guy was obviously worried about her; I'll bet he's in love with her."

"Who cares?" her husband replied.

"I'll bet that she does…"

The taxi carrying Aiden and Elizabeth pulled away and into a steady stream of traffic, a majority of which were paid vehicles, shuttling vacationers about the island.

"What are you looking at?" Elizabeth asked as she observed him looking out the back window.

"I was just looking at the beautiful resort. Maybe we can spend our honeymoon there," he suggested, when in reality he was watching for Jack.

"We should talk," she responded.

"We will; we need to start making some plans," he reached over and took her hand bringing it to his lips.

She hesitantly smiled, "Aiden, I'm glad that you're here, because I want to talk to you about something."

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, "You have no idea how hard it was to find you. What's going on; why all the secrecy?" he asked.

"Well, that's kind of what I want to talk to you about," she stated after which she turned to glance out the window.

His finger under her chin turned her back to face him, "I love you and I've missed you so much."

"Oh look, there's a restaurant. Do you want to stop for breakfast?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I'd rather have a kiss, but apparently you'd rather eat," he immediately turned his attention to the taxi driver. "Please stop at the restaurant. We've had a change in plans."

After the taxi stopped in front of the restaurant, Aiden stepped out and took Elizabeth's hand. She walked to the sidewalk while he paid.

"Here senor," Aiden handed him 1000 pesos to cover the bill that totaled only 475. "The rest is for you, but remember, you know nothing about where you dropped us off."

"Si, no problema," the driver responded with a broad smile.

They stepped inside and took a seat at a table on the deserted patio. Aiden ordered Huevos Rancheros (eggs on a tortilla with tomato sauce); while Elizabeth ordered the stuffed French toast, and finally, she received her much needed coffee.

"You know, we could have stayed in town and then gone to the beach. I'm not so sure that it's a good idea to be so far away from the resort and…"

"And what?"

"I just don't want Jack to get into trouble. He takes his job so seriously, and I was really just planning on us going downstairs."

"We need time alone," he replied as he took her hand in his, his thumb brushing gently across the skin on the top of her fingers. "I have really missed you."

She hesitantly smiled before her glance returned to the creamy colored liquid in her coffee cup, "But Jack doesn't know where I am."

Doing his best to change the subject, Aiden asked, "Why didn't you call me?"

"I don't have a phone. Somehow my phone wound up in Rosemary's things and she ended up taking a commercial flight," she stated, neglecting to advise him that her business phone had been deactivated, giving her and Jack an uninterrupted opportunity to talk.

"Why?" Aiden asked.

"Why what?" Elizabeth responded.

"Why did Rosemary take a commercial flight?"

"I don't know. Is it important?"

"I think so. Don't you find it's somewhat odd that Rosemary and I end up taking commercial flights and you and Jack fly to Cancun together…alone, instead of Chicago?

"Aiden, we need to talk…"

"We really do. I know that you haven't had time to tell your parents about the engagement, but we're here, why don't we get married, and we can go home as man and wife."

"Well…I guess that's a thought, but I…" she stated as she suddenly felt a shortness of breath as her throat seemed to be swelling.

"She grabbed around her neck…"

"What's wrong?" Aiden called out as her cup of coffee slipped from her hand and landed on the floor seemingly exploding into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Can't breathe…" she barely managed a whisper as she became more frantic and frightened.

"Is there a doctor in here?" Aiden yelled. Seeing that no one looked away from their plates of food, he added, "Where's the hospital…?" Aiden yelled; a question which quickly had the attention of everyone nearby poised in their direction.

The medical facility, Hospital Amerimed, was located three miles up the road. At this point, Elizabeth was turning blue.

Aiden picked her up and ran outside as a police officer was entering the door for breakfast. Seeing the situation before him, he ran for his car.

"HURRY…" Aiden yelled.

By the time the officer stopped at the local medical facility, Elizabeth was barely breathing, and she had lost consciousness. She was whisked inside. The attending doctor observed signs of anaphylaxis and immediately injected her with epinephrine in her right thigh.

The epinephrine was able to increase the blood flow through the veins, and quickly reduced the swelling in Elizabeth's airway.

"Are you a couple?" the nurse asked.

"Of course; in fact we were on our way to get married when this happened," he replied, as if she should have already gathered that bit of information based on his concern for Elizabeth's situation.

Glancing at Elizabeth's extremely relaxed attire, she internally giggled, assuming that they were so much in love that they couldn't wait.

"I'm so sorry that this derailed your plans. Do you know what she's allergic to?" she asked.

"Peanuts," he replied. "But she didn't eat any."

Aiden sat by her bed while she slept. He held her hand, bringing it to his lips several times. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth…" he whispered.

 _ **Puerto Morelos…**_

The taxi pulled into town, dropping Jack off at John Grey's Kitchen, the first restaurant in a long line of eateries along the coast.

Jack spent hours roaming the beaches and businesses asking anyone and everyone if they had seen the man whose picture remained on his phone. No one acknowledged seeing Aiden, or the beautiful woman Jack described, and he was frantic, uncertain how they could have possibly disappeared so quickly.

Jack sat out on the beach, scanning each and every blanket and its occupants, but still no Elizabeth.

"Robert," Jack called out as his best friend and business associate answered his phone.

"Did you find her?"

"No, I need help; it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Do you think he'd take her away?"

"I don't know what to think; I mean, I would hope that she'd put up a fight if he tried."

"I still have his picture; I can contact the airport police, but I don't have a picture of Elizabeth. I could pull one off the internet," Robert suggested.

"I have several that I've taken since we've been here. I'll send you one."

As the call ended, Jack sent Robert a picture that was given to him by the resort which was taken unbeknownst to them during their dinner in the gazebo. Once the picture was sent, Jack went back to pounding the pavement searching for any clues to her disappearance.

 _ **Hospital Amerimed, Cancun…**_

Several hours passed; Elizabeth finally woke to find Aiden standing by the window.

"Hey, what happened?" she asked. "I feel so woozy."

"I'm so sorry," he rushed back to her bedside. "Somehow you got a hold of some peanuts."

"Peanuts…I don't understand. I ordered French Toast."

"Don't you carry your epi-pen when you go out?"

"It's in my purse, but if you will recall, you rushed me out of the room. My purse is still there."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see anything that said peanuts," Aiden whispered. "But then again, do you speak Spanish, because I don't?"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, "Come in," Elizabeth weakly called out.

The police officer stepped into the room, "Are you okay?"

"Oh my, is something wrong?" she asked.

"Honey, this officer brought you here from the restaurant," Aiden advised as he continued to rub across her hand.

"So, how are you doing?" Officer Rivera asked.

"Better I think, but I don't know where I got peanuts from. I've been allergic to them for a long time, and I'm always so careful."

"What did you eat for breakfast?" he asked.

"Stuffed French Toast," she advised.

"That's a good choice if you aren't allergic to peanuts."

"Why?"

"Because it's stuffed with mantequilla de mani…"

"What's that?" she asked.

"Peanut Butter…"

"Well, mystery solved," she stated as she snuggled down deeper into her hospital bed.

"Well, you look better than the last time I saw you, so I'll leave you in the capable hands of your husband," the officer stated as he shook Aiden's hand and left the room.

Looking around she asked, "Where are we?"

Aiden looked around, "I don't know; it was the closest medical facility," he replied. "Elizabeth, you scared me. I'm so glad that you're okay."

"Why did he assume that we were married?" she asked.

"I don't know. I guess this place is popular with newlyweds. You know, while we're here, we could get married…"

"Aiden, we need to talk…"

"Hola," a voice was heard entering her room, but he wasn't seen until he pulled back the curtain. "Como te sientes, Miss Thatcher?" (Translation- "How are you feeling Miss Thatcher?")

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish," Elizabeth responded, appearing somewhat confused.

"I'm sorry; I speak English," Dr. Moreno advised. "Do you know where you are?"

"No sir…"

"This is Hospital Amerimed," Dr. Moreno advised. "How are you feeling?"

"Apparently better than I was," Elizabeth responded.

"Do you have a nut allergy?" he asked.

"Yes; I'm allergic to peanuts and I'm usually very careful, but since I don't speak Spanish, I didn't realize that there were peanuts in my French toast."

"Oh, you must have had the Stuffed French Toast. It is good, but not if you're allergic to peanuts. If you aren't sure, please ask. This could have killed you," Dr. Moreno advised.

"When can she leave?" Aiden asked.

"Well, I'm not inclined to release her unless there is someone to keep an eye on her. Are you her husband?" Dr. Moreno inquired.

"Her fiancé, but we were hoping to get married while we're here."

Before Elizabeth could respond to Aiden's declaration Dr. Moreno asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm exhausted, but I'm breathing, so I guess that's a plus."

"Since your fiancé will be around to help you, I don't see any reason why you can't leave, but you do need to rest today; no physical activity and no stress," he advised.

Focusing on getting released so she could return to the hotel with Jack, she politely shook her head up and down.

As he signed off on her chart, Dr. Moreno turned to Elizabeth, "Do you have an epi-pen?"

"I have one in my purse but I left it in the hotel room. Aiden, we need to go back to the hotel room and get it."

"You also need to rest," Dr. Moreno reminded her. He quickly added, "Rest is important but having someone to keep an eye on you is also necessary. You have to keep in mind that sometimes you can experience a secondary attack without coming in contact with the allergen again. So, make sure you have the epi-pen handy," Dr. Moreno advised.

"I will; thank you so much," Elizabeth responded as she watched Aiden follow the doctor out of the room.

"Thank you for saving her," Aiden's voice was quiet, hoping to keep Elizabeth from hearing him.

"She's very lucky that you got her here in time. Anaphylactic shock is very dangerous. I don't want to unnecessarily frighten you, but she could have died," Dr. Moreno stated before excusing himself.

"Would it be possible for us to get her another epi-pen to take with us?" Aiden called out causing Dr. Moreno to stop and turn around.

"Your fiancé said that she has one. I would feel comfortable with you leaving here and going straight to the hotel. Are you worried that you'll need one before reaching the hotel?"

"Uh, well yes; I'd just feel more comfortable if I had one with me when we left," he added.

"I'll see to it that you get one," Dr. Moreno advised.

While alone in the room with the nurse, Elizabeth called her over closer to the bed, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Would you call the Hotel Palace Reale and leave a message for someone there for me?"

"I'm not familiar with that hotel. Do you mean the Hotel Riu Palace?"

"Yes, that's it; I'm sorry, my head is still a bit groggy."

"Who do you want the message for?"

"It's for Jack Thornton; just leave a message that I'm here and ask him to please come get me."

"I'll do it right now. You take as much time as you need, okay?"

Feeling comfortable that they would have an epi-pen upon Elizabeth's release, Aiden returned to her bedside, "I'm so glad you're alright. Let's go get us a hotel room and then you can rest."

"Aiden, I need my epi-pen. Besides, I already have a hotel room. Let's just go back to my room so we can talk."

"No, I don't think so; I can get you another epi-pen here. Right now, I think we need to be alone, and I don't see us having any privacy with your bodyguard around."

"Aiden, please take me back to my hotel…"

Aiden reached out and took her left hand. Not feeling her engagement ring he glanced down, "Why aren't you wearing your ring?"

"Uh, it needs to be resized."

"That's funny; it seemed to fit perfectly when I slipped it on your finger."

"Jack…I don't want to lose your ring."

"What? You just called me Jack."

"No I didn't."

Aiden released her hand and walked to the foot of her bed, "Yes you did. I don't know what's going on, but I think it's time I look into getting you someone else to protect you."

"Elizabeth…" he walked over and shook her, jarring her awake. "What's wrong with you?"

"Aiden stop, I'm tired."

"I want you to call Jack and fire him."

"Why…?"

"Because it appears that he's taking liberties with you. He's unprofessional and I don't want you seeing him anymore."

"Liberties? What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Before he entered the picture, you loved spending time with me alone. Now… I just don't get it…"

"No, I won't fire him; besides I'm not the one who hired him, Mr. Lancaster did."

"Then I'll talk to Mr. Lancaster about firing him."

"Aiden, you can't do that."

"Why?"

Elizabeth didn't immediately respond.

"What's going on with you and Jack?"

"I'm sorry, Aiden…"

"You're sorry about what?"

"Aiden, I need to explain."

"Please do, because I'm feeling quite confused right now."

Elizabeth looked away.

"You just met him, so you can't be telling me that you have feelings for him."

"I don't know how to explain this."

"Explain what?"

"Jack and I actually met in college, and…"

Aiden sat in the chair by her bed, "Oh my God…Are you kidding me? He's the guy; he's the one who broke your heart…" his elbows rested on the mattress as his hand covered his face. Pulling his hand away he sharply added, "You're going to give up what we have for a guy who walked out on you? He didn't care about you then, what makes you think that he cares about you now?"

"Aiden, I'm sorry; I don't want to hurt you."

"You have an odd way of showing it," Aiden remarked; his voice sounding quite harsh. "You told me about him; you said that you'd never forgive him. So, you see him again and forget all the pain he caused?"

"Aiden, you deserve the truth, and I want to explain everything. My head is a jumbled mess and I'm just afraid that my words aren't coming out right. Please, can we talk later?"

"No, you can spare me all of the sordid details. Don't you remember; you've told me all about him; I just didn't know it was Jack. But keep in mind, I also know how badly he hurt you; you seem to have forgotten that part."

"What's wrong?"

Elizabeth didn't respond. She slipped on her flip flops, took Aiden's arm and walked out of the hospital.

Stepping outside, Elizabeth had a sudden realization that she could have easily died, never to feel the beautiful warmth of the sun upon her face again. Remembering the pain she felt when Jack pushed her away, and feeling thankful to Aiden for taking care of her, she agreed to go with him to talk.

Although the medication given to her in the hospital calmed her, allowing her to relax, the effects seemed to be longer lasting than she had anticipated. She was tired, didn't have the energy to argue, and felt quite confused. He hailed a taxi and they seemed to ride for a long time before stopping at a large unfamiliar building.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"This is our hotel," he advised as he helped her from the taxi and they went inside.

They rode the elevator up ten stories as she held on to Aiden for support. He opened the door to their room; walked her over to the window and pointed out the building next door.

"What's that?" she asked.

"That's the wedding chapel," he advised.

"Aiden, we should talk…"

He held her steady as they walked back into the middle of the room and took a seat on the bed. As she tried to explain her feelings for Jack, Aiden brought up the hurt she'd felt by his leaving. Her confusion and his anger caused her own ill feelings to stir and she was soon in tears.

"Elizabeth, you don't need him. I was there to pick up the pieces; I'll always be there. Where is he?"

"He said that he would give us time alone to talk."

"Elizabeth, he didn't want you then; he doesn't want you now. He's probably out on the beach looking for another beautiful woman to occupy his time," he responded; his tone was sharp, as he appeared to enjoy seeing the confusion in her eyes.

Elizabeth laid back on the bed and soon fell fast asleep. Hours later she was awakened by Aiden.

"Honey, it's time to get up?"

"Who's that?" she asked as she observed two gentlemen standing near her bed. One was dressed as a minister, and the other was the police officer who rushed her to the hospital.

"Why is the police officer here?" Elizabeth asked, clearly confused.

"This is Angel Rodriguez; he did the paperwork for our marriage license. Over here we have Noe Sanchez; he's a minister. He's here to marry us," Aiden advised. "So, you see it's time to get up."

"Wait, isn't he the police officer who drove us to the hospital? She asked; her confusion continued.

"Yea…why?"

"Why is he dressed like a doctor?"

"Uh, because he is a doctor at the medical center down the street; we only have him for a short while, so you need to get up."

"Why didn't he save me? Why did he take me to the hospital?"

"Stop questioning everything. He was working as a police officer not a doctor, that's why," he stated; his voice was a bit snippy and he pulled her up from the bed and held her tight to his chest.

"Aiden, I can't breathe; what's happening?"

Before she realized it, Angel slid a piece of paper under her hand and watched as she signed the document. He then handed the paper to Aiden who in turn passed it over to the minister. Angel held a shiny gold ring with a diamond for Aiden, which further added to her confusion.

She remained bewildered. Hearing hushed voices, she repeatedly whispered, "What's happening?" but received no response. "Why is everyone hurrying…?" she asked, another question that received no response. She was concerned because it seemed as though everyone in the room was spinning around her.

Time seemed to fly by. She didn't recall saying "I do, I will," or even "Yeah, sure" but the next thing she heard was, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Elizabeth sat on the side of the bed finding it difficult to catch her breath. She struggled to get the air in, feeling as though her throat was swelling again.

Feeling a sharp pain in her leg she quickly felt her throat opening and a sense of calm come over her. Her body felt completely relaxed as she lay back on the bed unable to move.

"I feel…Aiden, did you give me something?" she barely managed to whisper.

"Of course not. I'm going downstairs with Noe and Angel to have a drink. I'll be back later tonight," Aiden advised as the three men left the room.

Elizabeth watched as the door closed, thankful that she was now alone, but confused over what had just happened. How did she end up marrying him when her plan was to break up?

Tears filled her eyes as she worried about how she was going to tell Jack what she'd done, and if he'd ever be able to speak to her again. She reached inside her bag, pulled her journal out, opened it to the next blank page and attempted to purge herself of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that had now overcome her…

" _ **I now sit alone with no understanding and no explanation as the responsibility of my actions rest solely upon my shoulders. What was I thinking; why did I not stand up for myself, for what I wanted, for what was right. I feel lost, my body floats, my feet never touching the ground.**_

 _ **For as long as I can remember, I have spent so much time fighting with myself over small, insignificant things in life. I wish, worry, complain, compare, speculate, want and wait for perfect, when in fact I should be happy and content with the simple blessings that surround me on a daily basis.**_

 _ **Is this an act of Karma; que sera sera, don't look a gift horse in the mouth or finding love in all the wrong places? Am I meant to live this life, this disappointing life with a man who sadly is not my soul mate? But then again, I said yes to his proposal, so where I am now must be my destiny.**_

 _ **Life is quite fragile and all it takes is a single moment in time; a decision you make too quickly or without ample thought to change everything you felt so close to or held so near and dear to your heart. It can quickly become goodbye to what you want and hello to what cards you are dealt, acceptance of which leads to your new 'meant to be.'**_

 _ **So take a look at yourself; it may not be the visual you anticipated, and you may even feel broken or shattered, but you're still here. You are strong. Keep moving. Don't stop. Stand tall and realize that as you hold yourself together, you are healing. It doesn't have to be a pretty sight, and you don't need to be graceful as you move from phase to phase, but you need to hold your head up high, accept the consequences for your actions, and keep going."**_

Elizabeth closed her journal and sat it on the table beside the bed. She did her best to wipe away the tears as they fell in a steady stream. She wanted to blame Aiden, but then again, he'd saved her life, so didn't she owe him something?

 _ **Hotel Riu Palace…**_

Jack ran in the front door of the resort, bypassed the front desk and sprinted to the elevator.

"Mr. Thornton," Jose, the desk clerk called out but the doors of the elevator were nearly closed.

Jack rode the elevator up to the next floor, but immediately exited and ran down the stairs to the lobby. "Were you trying to get my attention?"

"Yes sir, this message came in for you earlier and they said it was very important," Jose advised as he handed Jack a piece of paper, before walking into the room behind the front desk.

" _ **Helena Lopez called. She said that Elizabeth Thatcher is at Hospital Amerimed and you need to come right away."**_

"Where is Hospital Amerimed?" Jack called out as he slammed his hand on the counter to get the clerk's attention.

"Sir it is about 30 minutes away, just off the main road," Jose advised.

Jack ran out the door and hailed a taxi. The entire ride was excruciating; he didn't know if Aiden had done something to her, but he did have some peace that she was at least in the hospital where someone could help her.

The driver dropped him off in front of the hospital, and watched as Jack frantically tried to exit the taxi, not realizing that his seatbelt was still buckled. Finally freed, Jack paid his bill and ran in the front door of the medical facility.

"Elizabeth Thatcher…I need to find Elizabeth Thatcher," he called out at the first empty desk he came to.

Seeing his distress, a nurse looked up Elizabeth's information, "I see her name, but no information about her. You may want to check out the third floor."

Armed with that little bit of information, Jack took off looking for a staircase or an elevator. Feeling his own medical episode coming on, Jack slipped into the elevator and repeatedly pushed the "3" button.

As the door opened he rushed down the hallway, "Elizabeth Thatcher," he called out to the nurse as she walked behind the desk.

"Room 322," she replied.

Jack ran into Room #322 and found two men, a police officer and a minister standing by Elizabeth's bed. "What's wrong?"

The minister spoke first, "I was making the rounds and heard this young lady crying out. I came into see if I could bring her some peace with a prayer."

Jack glanced at the officer, "Is something wrong?"

"No, I was the one who drove them here this morning and when I went to turn in my car for the next shift, I found this in the floorboard," he reached into his pocket and pulled out Elizabeth's engagement ring. "I knew it had to belong to her so I stopped back by to return it to her."

Holding the ring in his hand he looked at Jack, "You aren't her fiancé, so who are you?"

"I'm her bodyguard and the man who loves her," Jack replied as he stood by Elizabeth's bed.

Elizabeth's nurse walked in and stood just behind Jack, "I assume that you're Mr. Thornton."

"Yes, what happened?" Jack spun around, surprised by her voice.

"Elizabeth was adamant that I notify you; I'm glad you got the message."

"Thank you, but what happened?" Jack asked as he pulled up a chair beside her bed and took hold of her hand. "Did he hurt her?"

"Do you mean the man she was with?"

"Yes, what did he do to her?" he responded but his eyes never left her.

"I don't think he did anything to her. He brought her in for an apparent allergic reaction to peanuts and she was getting ready to leave with him and had another episode," the nurse advised. "She became agitated and Dr. Moreno prescribed her a sedative."

"Where's Aiden?" Jack asked, looking forward to having him arrested.

The nurse looked up from Elizabeth's chart, "I don't know. He was here, and then he was gone."

"What do I do with this ring; It looks quite expensive?" the officer asked.

"Well, if you knew where the guy who brought her in here was you could give it back to him. That's what Elizabeth was planning to do."

The nurse turned to the officer, "Just give it to Mr. Thornton. I'd say you could put it with the rest of her stuff, but she came in with nothing."

The officer dropped the ring into Jack's palm. He glanced down feeling the heat as though the bauble was burning a hole in his skin. Something about holding the symbol of another man's love for Elizabeth, his Elizabeth, that seemed wrong on so many levels.

Jack stuck the ring in his pocket suddenly feeling a slight sense of satisfaction at knowing that it was no longer on her finger. He continued to hold her hand as the fingers of his other hand traced up and down her arm, "Wake up baby; I'm here…"

After sitting by her bed for an hour, her hand in his the entire time, she awakened. Seeing Jack, she immediately pulled her hand away and began apologizing.

"Honey, it's okay. It was an accident; peanuts are in a lot of things, but you're okay now," Jack assured her.

'But I married him…"

Jack swallowed hard; excuse me?"

"Aiden, I married him…"

"What are you talking about honey; Aiden isn't even here."

"Of course not, he went downstairs to have a drink with the minister and the police officer."

Jack released a harsh breath that sounded much like soft laugh.

"Why are you laughing at me? Jack, this isn't funny. Did you hear what I said…I married him?"

"I'm sorry honey…"

"Jack, don't call me that; I'm a married woman," she turned away from him as tears slipped from her eyes.

Jack walked to the other side of the bed. He held her arms so she couldn't turn away from him, "Elizabeth, you're in the hospital; you've been here most of the day, and you didn't marry anyone."

"Let me see my journal; I wrote about it…"

"Honey, your journal is in your bag, and it's sitting on the counter in our room."

"I don't understand," her hand rubbed across her face. "It seemed so real."

"Think about it Elizabeth; is it normal for a man to marry a beautiful woman and then leave to go out and have a drink with two guys?"

"I guess not."

"Sweetheart, you were dreaming. You know dreams seem real and logical while we're having them, but then when we talk about it we realize how silly it was."

"So I didn't marry him?" she asked, somewhat relieved.

"No," he replied as he took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. "And you never have to see him again."

"But Jack, I'm assuming that I didn't break up with him either." Taking her hand and patting her pocket she gasped, "The ring, it's gone…maybe I did break up with him and that's why he left."

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring, "Well, I don't know if you broke up with him or not, but you dropped the ring in the police car. The officer brought it back to you."

Jack handed her the ring and she returned it to her pocket. "Do you remember anything?" he asked.

"No, I mean I remember him suggesting that we get married and he didn't want to take me back to my hotel. He said that we needed a chance to talk without you around."

Jack sat on the side of Elizabeth's bed and pulled her in for a hug, "I'm so sorry. I should never have allowed you to go off with him by yourself."

"Jack, it's okay. It's not like he was my stalker…" she released her own soft laugh.

Jack leaned back as his hand held her upper arms, "I need to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait; my head is so foggy right now."

He held her tight to his chest. Thankful to have her back he replied, "We have plenty of time." He leaned back slightly; holding her face cradled in his hands he whispered, "But I'm not letting you out of my sight."

His lips met hers; they were soft and tender and oh so very welcoming.

"Ms. Thatcher, are you ready to leave us?" Dr. Moreno asked as he walked into her room during his evening rounds.

"Yes…" she responded.

"Shouldn't she stay the night just to be safe?" Jack asked, choosing to err on the side of caution.

"Actually, everything seems fine and I don't anticipate any further episodes. So, you are free to go," Dr. Moreno stated while simultaneously signing off on her chart. "Just stay away from peanuts, okay?"

"Yes sir, I will…"

Jack took her arm, providing her support as they walked out of the hospital and into an awaiting taxi.

"Are you hungry?" Jack asked.

"I am, but I'm afraid to eat. Oh wait; there is fruit and stuff that the hotel gave us. I'll just nibble," she replied.

Thirty minutes later the taxi pulled up in front of the Hotel Riu Palace. The doorman opened the back door and Jack stepped out immediately turning around to help Elizabeth.

"You found her…" Jose called out from behind the desk as Jack held her arm and they passed through the lobby.

"Yes, thanks for your help. I'm sorry if I was rude to you; I was just so worried," Jack replied.

"No worries; be happy…" Jose laughed as Jack and Elizabeth entered the elevator.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "We do need to talk."

"I know, but I just want to rest; is that okay?"

Hearing the emotional drain in her voice he couldn't do anything but agree, "You rest," _**and I'll watch over you.**_

They walked into their suite and he took her immediately to her room. "Do you need any help changing into your pajamas?" he asked.

She shook her head 'no' but then whispered, "What if I said 'yes' instead?"

"Then I'd close my eyes and help you change."

"So chivalrous…" she responded with a weak smile.

Jack walked out of her room, closing the door behind him, allowing her time to change.

She slipped into a pair of striped shorts and a black satin tank top. "Jack, are you still there?" she called out.

"I'm right here; are you decent?" he asked.

"Jack, you're so funny; come back inside," she replied.

The door opened and Jack entered with a plate of fruit, cheese and chocolate covered strawberries. He also had two bottles of water tucked under his arm.

Jack took a seat on the side of the bed, setting the plate close to her and removing the twist top from her bottled water.

"You know, I said that I would nibble, but I don't really feel like eating anything. Will you just lay with me, at least until I fall asleep?"

Jack placed the food and drink on the table in her room before stretching out on the bed beside her. She took his hand and pulled it around her body, holding it tight against her chest. If he hadn't felt her warm breath on his hand, he would have been concerned as she seemed to drift off immediately upon her head hitting the pillow.

Jack's head lay in the middle of her flowing auburn tresses, the scent of lavender vanilla filling his senses, and he felt so many things, thankful, appreciative, blessed beyond belief, and so very much in love.

They both slept through the night, awakening to find themselves in the same position, still holding on to the other just as tightly as before. The sun seemingly rose early; however upon checking his watch, Jack realized that it was actually 10:30 in the morning. Never did he remember sleeping in so late; well, maybe in college, but certainly not since his stint in the military.

Feeling her stir, Jack sat up in bed, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm starving," she replied.

"Okay, how about you get dressed and we'll go get some breakfast," he suggested.

"Sounds perfect," she stated as she sprung out of bed with energy that surprised him.

As he stood by the door to her room, Jack turned back, "Hey honey, do you feel like talking?"

"I know we need to, so maybe after breakfast?"

"Okay, take your time…" Jack stated as he stepped across the hall to his room to change.

Following what ended up being brunch, Jack suggested that they take a walk along the water. Not knowing what he wanted to talk about, but assuming that it had to do with Aiden and her time alone with him yesterday, she agreed.

He took her hand and they followed the path down to the water. His thumb brushed gently across the skin on her fingers as he considered the best way to break the news to her about Aiden and his deceptive actions.

"Jack, I know what you want to talk about," she blurted out as they took a seat on a bench by the water.

"I don't think you do."

"You want to know if he did anything to me."

Suddenly feeling concerned that something did in fact happen to her, he hesitantly asked, "Did he hurt you? If you feel like talking about it, I'll listen, but I won't push."

"I don't think we were together very long before I was rushed to the hospital, so if you're thinking he did something to me, you're mistaken," she advised.

Seeing his flushed appearance she asked, "What's wrong Jack?"

"It's Aiden…"

"Well, I figured that, but what about him?"

"I guess the best way to tell you is just to come out with it…"

"What is it?"

"Aiden is your stalker."

"Jack, that's absurd. I know you don't care for him, but why would you accuse him of that?"

"Elizabeth, I have him on video slipping the letter under your door in San Francisco. As to the why… who knows, maybe he thought if he scared you that you wouldn't travel as much; that you'd stay in Chicago with him," an arm around her shoulders pulled her closer to him. "Whatever the reason, believe me, I'll find out."

Sitting quietly, the fingers on Elizabeth's right hand ran across the skin on the ring finger of her left. The ring was missing but the memories of their time together remained ever present in her mind.

She stood up and walked toward the water. Standing on the dry sand just shy of the waves crashing onshore she crossed her arms in front of her body, released a frustrated breath and wondered how he could have manipulated her so.

Jack stepped behind her, slipping his arms around her waist he pulled her close against his body. "Are you okay?"

She said nothing but simply shook her head back and forth. She closed her eyes, lowered her head, and whispered, "Why didn't I know?"

Jack released her body before walking around in front of her. His finger under her chin lifted her eyes to meet his, "You are not to blame. None of this is your fault."

"But Jack, what does that say about my judgment? I mean, I said yes to his proposal. If you hadn't come back…"

His hand rested on the side of her face as she leaned against him. His thumb stroked across her cheek, "I am here, and I'm not letting you go again." His lips captured hers; a gentle touch that felt so natural, and familiar, yet sparked excitement that neither one had ever felt with anyone else.

"What's going to happen to him?" she asked.

Jack took hold of her hand and they walked back to the bench. "Unfortunately he mailed threatening letters through the US Postal Service."

"Okay, so what does that mean?"

"That's a federal offense. Robert has already contacted the Postal Inspector and I suspect that there is a warrant out for his arrest."

Elizabeth jumped up and started walking back toward the resort.

He grabbed her hand and turned her around, "What's wrong? Where are you going?"

"You say it's not my fault Jack, but it must be. Aiden seemed normal; our relationship was normal. We talked about marriage and children and what we wanted in life. I never planned to travel as much as I do, and I guess I never thought that my writing would be so popular. I never asked him how he felt; I just assumed that he was happy for me. So if he did this to get me to stay home, it is my fault."

He held her hands, "No, you aren't responsible for his behavior. He could have sat down with you and said that he wanted you to be home more, or he could have simply told you that what's important to you is not important to him any longer."

Her eyes were cast downward; they were dull, not the bright, crisp blue he'd always associated with her. But then again, he wasn't around on graduation day when he told her to move on. Had he been, he would have seen the same eyes that he was looking at right now.

"Elizabeth, are you responsible for someone who robs a bank?"

"Of course not Jack; that's silly."

"No sillier than you assuming that you caused Aiden to write you threatening letters. His behavior is on him, not you and I won't have you beating yourself up for something that isn't your fault."

"What will happen to him?" she asked.

"I'm not sure."

Several days passed; Jack and Elizabeth shortened their trip and he returned with her to Chicago. Aiden was arrested as he exited a plane at Midway Airport, and was being held in federal custody, much to Elizabeth's chagrin.

"I need to go see Aiden," Elizabeth stated as they rode the train back to her apartment.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jack quickly responded.

Elizabeth reached into her pocket and pulled out the engagement ring that Aiden had given her, "Technically I'm still engaged to him. Jack, I can't move forward with you until I give this back to him. Do you understand?"

"I do; I don't like it, but I do understand," he admitted. "But you aren't going by yourself."

Two days later, after finding out Aiden's location, Elizabeth and Jack stepped out of her apartment complex overlooking Lake Michigan and headed to the train station. They grabbed the Red Line and made their way to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, located approximately forty minutes away.

Jack held her hand as they exited the train and walked the remainder of the way on foot. He could sense her anxiety; she hadn't spoken since boarding the train at Wilson and didn't even laugh at his silly jokes…she always laughed at his silly jokes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"No, but I have to," she replied.

Jack held the door open for her as she approached the counter, gave her name and the inmate she wanted to visit. She was told to take a seat and would be called once Aiden was in the visiting pod.

"Ms. Thatcher," the guard called out gaining her attention.

Elizabeth and Jack walked up to the window.

"The visiting rooms are all spoken for and there are people waiting in line. I'm going to put Mr. Prescott in a lawyer visitation room, but there will be a guard standing by."

Elizabeth walked to the dull grey, heavy steel door. As the buzzer rang and the guard pushed the door open, Elizabeth turned to Jack, "Please understand; I need to do this alone."

Jack stood silently, a dejected expression on his face as the door closed and the lock was engaged.

Elizabeth was taken to the other side of the complex and led into a visiting area that consisted of six individual pods. Although there was glass between them, there was a small opening, much like the change shoot from a cash register in the middle, allowing lawyers to pass papers back and forth to their clients.

Elizabeth took a seat on the cold metal stool, and she quickly realized that the correctional center was certainly unconcerned about providing her with creature comforts.

Her elbows rested on the metal counter that was at window level as her hands held each other and her fingers were laced tightly together. Her thumbs twirled in a circle around each other while she waited for Aiden. Ten minutes later the door opened and Inmate #342776, known to Elizabeth as Aiden Westbury Prescott, stepped inside the room.

Aiden approached the window and took a seat on his own metal stool. "You look well; I'm glad you're okay."

"Medically I'm fine, but emotionally…why did you do it?"

"You know, I just wanted us to get married and raise a family. I thought you wanted that too."

"Aiden, I thought you were happy for my success. You always told me how proud you were, but to do this; to frighten me to death?"

"Elizabeth, I didn't think it would go this far. I thought you'd realize that the traveling wasn't worth all of the worry and you'd stay home."

"That's so selfish. I guess you just wanted me at your beck and call, and that's not me."

Aiden stood up and began walking around the small room, as the guard continued to watch him closely.

He glanced back in her direction, "If you weren't travelling all over the place, you wouldn't have needed a bodyguard."

"My travelling had nothing to do with it. We thought someone was threatening me."

Aiden's anxiety continued to brew, "I knew there was something about him. He just seemed possessive of you."

"Aiden, please lower your voice. He wasn't possessive, he was protective."

"He didn't need to protect you. There was no one out there after you."

"But we didn't know that. Everyone, but you, was trying to keep me safe."

"Really Elizabeth? I mean who is going to go after a book author? It was a joke, a means to get you to stay in town and settle down with me."

Feeling her own anger she stated, "Well, how did that work out for you, Aiden?"

He took his seat again and she suddenly felt sorry for the shell of a man who sat before her. "I owe you an apology and a debt of gratitude…"

"Why…?"

"Because, I should never have said that I'd marry you."

"If Jack hadn't come back, we would've been happy."

"Aiden, I…" Elizabeth lowered her eyes.

"Look at me; the least you can do after everything I've done is the courtesy of looking at me," his voice was shrill, almost as if this entire situation was her fault.

"What you've done is break the law, scare me to death, and show me that you aren't the man I thought you were."

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. I love you so much and I just lost sight of reality for a while," he stated.

The guard stepped forward, "Finish up your conversation. You've got one more minute."

Elizabeth reached into her pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he'd given her. It was initially held tightly in her fist, but she quickly opened her hand as if it was scorching her skin, and placed it in the opening at the base of the window.

Aiden initially reached for it, not knowing what it was. When he realized that it was the engagement ring he stated, "I don't want it back."

"Aiden, I'm not keeping it," she stated as she watched the guard take possession of it, advising that it would be placed in the bag of his possessions.

With the ring no longer in her possession she was effectively ending her relationship with him. She stood up and walked toward the door.

Aiden watched her take several steps away from him before yelling out, "ELIZABETH…" causing her to stop and turn around. "I'm sorry."

"I am too," she stated as she walked out of the room and found Jack sitting in a chair a few feet away.

"What are you doing?"

"You really didn't think I was going to leave you alone with him, did you?"

He stood up and she collapsed in his arms. He held her tightly as she cried, soaking his blue button down shirt.

"I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do," she admitted.

"Honey, it's not your fault."

"Jack, can you understand that I don't want to see him in prison?" she asked, clearly conflicted in her feelings. "I know he was wrong and I understand that he has to accept the consequences, but if he hadn't done it, and I hadn't needed a bodyguard, you and I would not have seen each other again; we wouldn't have talked and we certainly would not be together."

She continued, "That's what I feel guilty about…"

"I understand. I'm not sure that there's anything we can do about it, but maybe the prosecutor will ask what you want to happen if he's found guilty," Jack responded as he took her hand and they walked toward the front of the complex.

Once outside, Elizabeth faced the sun, thankful for the warmth on her face, but sad that Aiden had at least temporarily lost his opportunity to experience even the simple pleasures of life.

They made the short walk to the train station, hopped the Red Line and returned to Elizabeth's apartment.

Jack temporarily settled in at her place with his single bag and the realization that they would need to make some decisions about their future. The fact was that he lived in San Francisco and her home was in Chicago, certainly farther apart than either of them wanted to be from the other.

Standing out on her balcony watching the tourists and locals walk along Lake Michigan, they turned to face each other. As if they had the same thought at the same time they spoke in unison…

"How do you feel about moving to Chicago?"

"What do you think about moving to San Francisco?"

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7- Divine Intervention

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 7- Divine Intervention**_

"Well this could be quite the dilemma," Jack stated as he and Elizabeth contemplated their situation.

"I guess we could always do something long distance, at least initially." Seeing his less that pleased expression she continued, "Well Jack, I mean neither of us can simply up and move on a whim. It takes thought and planning."

"Whim…? Is that what we are?" he asked, clearly confused by her wording.

"You know that's not what I mean."

"Well, please enlighten me then."

"Jack, I've lived here for years. I have my friends, and my apartment…even if I wanted to leave, it would…

Jack released her hand, stood up and walked toward the sliding glass door, "Even if…"

Elizabeth stood up and walked over to him. She took his hand and placed it on her chest, "Do you feel that? My heart has beaten for you and only you for so long. Please don't be upset with me."

"I'm sorry; I just don't want to be away from you."

"We've been apart for years, Jack; we can handle a little longer until we figure this out."

Jack reached out and pulled her into his chest, "I love you so much, and I feel like we've already lost so much time together."

"Well…"

"Well what?" he asked.

"You have a business in San Francisco, so logically speaking, I should move to you."

"You would do that?" he stepped back, lifted her chin with his finger and looked into her eyes.

"Jack, I don't want to be away from you either. It's just that I can't simply pack a bag, close the apartment door and disappear. Can you understand that?"

"I do understand and I don't mean to be pushy; I just don't want to leave you here alone, but I have to get back to work."

"I know…"

"But you know what I want to do before I leave?"

She sheepishly smiled, "What might that be?"

"It's not what you think, although now that you mention it," he stepped closer.

"Jack Thornton…" she released a shocked breath at what he was suggesting. She wondered if he recalled their talks in college, often times with the subject matter being her desire to remain a virgin until marriage. The subject had not come up since they'd reconnected, but she was certain at some point it would have to.

"Okay, seriously, I think we need to go visit your parents."

"Jack, I don't think I can even look at them right now. I feel so betrayed."

He walked her back to the sofa and they took a seat. "You have a right to your feelings and I'm right there with you, but they need to know that we're together; that what they did didn't tear us apart."

"But it did, Jack, and ironically, if Aiden hadn't gone off the deep end with the threatening letters, we would never know about their deception," she reminded him.

Looking into her eyes he saw them turn cold, angry, but thankfully not at him. "Elizabeth, you'll need to talk to them at some point. I want to be with you when you do."

"I know you're right, but Jack, what parent does that to their child? They knew how hurt and angry I was," she stated as she wiped tears from her eyes that began to spill down her cheeks.

"Let's go see them before I fly home. At least that will be one thing off of our list of decisions which need to be made," he strongly suggested.

"Okay, I'll call them…" she stated as she pulled out her phone and dialed her parents' number. When do you want to go?"

"Unfortunately I have to get back to San Francisco, so the sooner the better," his voice was soft as his arm around her shoulders made her feel safe and loved.

"Hi honey, how did your San Francisco trip go?" her mother asked.

"Hmm, quite eventful…"

"He proposed, didn't he?"

"Excuse me…?"

"Two weeks ago Aiden flew here and asked your father for your hand in marriage. He is such a nice young man, and he truly loves you," her mother gushed. "So did he propose?"

Elizabeth had kept the information about the threatening letters from her parents, not wanting to upset them. She could only assume how their love fest for Aiden would change once they heard of his actions. "Um, yes he did."

"And you said yes, right?"

"Um, yes I did, but mom…"

"I am so happy for you. Your father and I are so excited to finally see you with someone you can trust," Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat at the term used by her mother, a person whom she no longer trusted.

"We'd like to come see you. Are you two in town this week?" Elizabeth asked, doing her best to hold her angered tongue.

"Of course; you and Aiden come and I'll get your sisters together and we can go dress shopping."

Elizabeth swallowed hard. Jack couldn't hear her mother's end of the conversation, but with her lips pursed and the vein by her temple bulging, he could only assume that she wasn't pleased.

"We'll be there mom. Please make sure that dad's there too. Is tomorrow too soon?"

"Tomorrow is perfect. Do you need us to send a driver for you?"

"No ma'am; we'll be fine. See you tomorrow," she stated as she ended the call, releasing a harsh breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

"Take a walk with me," he proposed as he held out his hand to her.

"Jack, we don't have time. We need to make flight arrangements, and…"

"Nothing is as important as us spending some time together. Come on; let's walk along the river," he suggested.

She placed her hand in his and they walked down the stairs of her older apartment complex and out the two security doors.

"What's that?" he asked as he observed something holding open one of the security doors.

"I've complained to management, but they don't do anything. People in the complex leave the door cracked open for their friends, I guess. But then we have packages that end up being stolen."

"I don't like that. This complex isn't safe," he commented before closing the door tightly, thankful that at least with some pressure, it did lock appropriately.

They crossed Sheridan Road and across the small park to the water.

Jack pulled her hand up to his lips. Feeling the emptiness on her ring finger he commented, "I'm so glad that you're no longer wearing his ring, I can't tell you what a kick in the gut it was to see him down on one knee proposing to you."

"I didn't think it mattered to you; I think that's why I said 'yes.'"

"You didn't think it mattered to me? Why?" he asked.

"Because I glanced back at you and you turned away from me like you didn't care."

Jack stopped walking, gently tugging on her arm as she turned to face him. "I was dying inside. In my mind you didn't want me, and I…I'm sorry, I couldn't watch you accept another man's proposal."

"I thought you didn't want me; that maybe a life with Aiden was what I had to look forward to," she replied.

Elizabeth reached up to wipe her watering eyes. Jack pulled her hand away, and cradled her face as his thumbs captured the prefect droplets that fell.

He stepped closer; as their bodies touched their lips met and not even the breeze blowing off of Lake Michigan could slip between them.

The air was cool, but their lips were hot, warming them all over as his arms swept around her waist and pulled her even closer, as if that were even possible.

Her hands worked their way up his arms resting on either side of his cheeks, her fingers nestled in his hair.

His lips pressed firmly against hers; a feeling of electricity quickly shot through her body. His tongue slipped passed her lips and passionately moved along the inside of her mouth, easily remembering the areas that used to set her on fire all those many years ago.

With other couples walking along the shore, they quickly realized that they were not alone. He stepped back slightly, "Please know that I will always want you; I will always love you."

The smile that covered her face caused his heart to pound. He remembered that smile from the first time they'd met, and he knew that he'd never forget it. Holding hands and with her head leaning against his shoulder, they walked back toward Elizabeth's apartment to make the necessary but emotional arrangements to visit her parents.

The following morning, the Uber driver picked them up in front of her apartment complex and drove them to O'Hare International Airport for their flight to Norfolk, Virginia.

Sitting side by side, his hand covered hers and gently squeezed as the plane roared down the runway. Her eyes closed as the plane left the ground. Jack brought her hand up to his lips and then turned to her and whispered, "Just relax; it's only a two hour flight."

"Jack, you know how much I hate take-offs, but I think I'm more worried about seeing my parents."

He pulled the arm rest up between them before putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "We're together, and we will stay together. So you say what you need to and then we'll leave, okay?"

"Jack," she hesitated as he could easily see the hurt and sadness in her eyes. "I love my parents, but is it even possible to forgive them for this?"

"I can't answer that for you; I'm sorry, I wish I could."

Once they arrived, Jack rented a car and they headed for Virginia Beach. Pulling onto 65th Street her stomach tightened. He reached over and took her hand, "It'll be okay; I'm here."

"Jack, I don't want to hate my parents, but how could they have done this to me…to us?"

He squeezed her hand, "I'm angry too. We've missed out on a lot of years together, but honey, we're not parents. I would hope that we wouldn't respond as they did, but please give them a chance to explain, okay?"

"I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything," she stated as her eyes seemed to pierce right through him.

They pulled up to the house, turned into the driveway and stopped at the front door. "Let me go in first; I don't want them to see you coming."

"A surprise attack?"

"Maybe…I just don't want them to have a chance to come up with a different story."

He pulled her hand to his lips, "Just remember I love you."

"I know and that means the world to me," she responded as she slipped out of the car and walked toward the front door.

As she approached the door flew open and Julie rushed out, "Where is he? I haven't even met him yet," she yelled as she squatted down, doing her best to see through the darkened windows from twenty feet away.

"He'll be inside in a minute; he's on the phone," she rushed Julie back toward the door knowing that her explanation was a lie but not wanting her parents to know, just yet, that Jack was back in her life.

Her parents were just inside as she and Julie walked into the foyer, closing the front door behind them. Each of her parents hugged her, the embrace from her father seemed to be tighter than normal, and given her emotional state, it was a bit too confining.

She stepped back and forced a smile, "How have you been?" she asked.

"Busy as always, but so happy to see you. Where's that boyfriend of yours?" Mr. Thatcher asked. "I understand that you have some news for us…I guess I should have said fiancé."

"I certainly do have some news, but boyfriend is fine," she whispered under her breath.

Just then there was a knock and Mrs. Thatcher opened the door, standing stunned at the man before her. It had been years since she'd seen Jack, and with no information indicating that they were back together, she could only assume that he had stopped by, obviously unannounced, but hadn't seen Aiden sitting in the car.

Mrs. Thatcher turned back to her husband. Seeing a look of concern in her eyes, William walked passed Elizabeth and Julie and approached the door.

"Oh, that must be Jack…" Elizabeth whispered to Julie as she started for the door as well.

"JACK," Julie screeched, "WOW, I've missed a lot since I've been gone."

Elizabeth took hold of the knob and opened the door, "Come on in Jack." She took his hand and walked him passed her confused parents, and Julie, who was the only one in her family besides Elizabeth who seemed thrilled to see Jack again.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Thatcher sternly stated as he closed the door behind them.

"Mom…dad…you know Jack. Daddy, you wanted to know where the man I loved was; well, here he is," she stated. Her tone was relentless, equaling her father's.

"What's he doing here? Elizabeth, I don't appreciate being blindsided." Her father yelled; his tone was harsh and even in her angered state, Jack could tell that it startled her.

"Daddy, you have no right to question me. You above all despise when people lie to you, but you did it to me…." her tears started to flow. "Apparently Jack sent me some letters that you chose not to give me. How could you; you knew how much I loved Jack and yet…"

He interrupted, "You told us over and over that you wanted nothing to do with him; how he had hurt you, and you didn't want to hear his name again."

"It wasn't your place to keep his letters from me. I should have been able to make that decision, but you took that away from me," she snapped back.

"I'm sorry; I did what I thought was best," he stepped forward putting his hand on her arm, saddened when she pulled away.

Mr. Thatcher turned to Jack, "I had nothing against you until I saw her face on graduation day. She was devastated, and you were the reason."

"Well, daddy, your judgment is skewed. For your actions kept us apart. I love Jack; I've always loved Jack, and if you'd given me the opportunity to make up my own mind, I wouldn't be here right now embarrassed that you're my father."

She turned to Jack, "I'm done, please get me out of here…"

Her parents were stunned; Julie, on the other hand was quite please to see Elizabeth stand up for herself.

Before the door opened, Julie yelled out, "What happened with Aiden? All I've heard is how perfect he is."

Elizabeth stopped, released Jack's hand and spun around, "For your information Aiden proposed, and I accepted. But mom…dad, this wonderful man who you gave your blessing to is quite unstable. He apparently wasn't happy with my literary success; he travelled just about everywhere I went, but the truth was that he wanted me to be at home, simply waiting on him hand and foot."

"What are you talking about?" her mother asked.

"Aiden was anonymously sending me threatening letters; trying to get me to give up my writing so I would simply be at his beck and call."

"Oh Elizabeth, I didn't know," her father spoke; hesitantly he waited for her to blow up again.

"You can thank Jack…"

"Why, what did he do?" her father asked.

"He was hired by my publisher to protect me. That's how we found each other again. Oh and daddy, we just came back from an absolutely magical trip to Cancun," she blurted out.

It was magical in the sense that they again found the feelings they had for one another, but certainly not without its own surprises and complications. Elizabeth chose to keep those to herself, somehow hoping to completely shock her parents.

She took Jack's hand again and headed for the door.

"Elizabeth, please wait," her mother called out.

When Elizabeth turned around her father was gone. She glanced around but saw no sign of him. "Mom, you of all people knew how much I loved Jack."

"I did know, but if you will remember, every time I brought up his name you shot me down. I don't approve of your father's actions, but he thought you two were through and he was trying to keeping him from hurting you more."

"Don't you understand, that wasn't his right?" her agitated tone was easily noted. "Speaking of daddy, where did he go?"

Just then Mr. Thatcher walked out of his office carrying a large brown padded envelope. He walked back toward the group and handed the package to Elizabeth, "There you go."

"What's this?" she asked.

"Those are the letters he sent you," he stated.

Elizabeth held the envelope in her hands before slipping it into her bag as she contemplated the deep anger she currently felt for her parents.

Mr. Thatcher was doing his best to remain stoic. Never one to outwardly show his emotions, there had only been a few occasions when his girls had seen him cry; when Viola married, and his mother died, at least those were the only two times that Elizabeth could recall. She was about to see the third…

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. I saw what he did to you, and I was trying to protect you," her father explained. His eyes watered and internally he was grabbing for any words that he thought might help her understand.

"Mr. Thatcher, why did you tell me that you had given the letters to Elizabeth?" Jack asked, finding his own need for answers.

"I never said I gave the letters to her; if you will recall, I simply said that they had arrived," Mr. Thatcher stated.

He quickly added, "Jack, I never had anything against you; I mean I always thought you were good for Elizabeth. That was until I saw how you devastated her. At that point I was angry with you for the sadness you'd caused and I wanted to protect her."

Mr. Thatcher glanced over at Elizabeth; sadly he saw the same expression in her eyes that he observed at graduation on that Saturday morning all those many years ago. Suddenly the realization hit him that he was not immune to causing emotional devastation to her as well. What made matters worse, he was her father; she should be able to trust him no matter what.

"All I can say is that I'm sorry; your mother told me I was wrong, so please don't be upset with her," he pleaded.

Elizabeth took Jack's hand and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" her mother called out.

Elizabeth stopped at the door, turned around and while holding Jack's hand, he could feel her entire body shaking. Doing her best to remember that they were her parents and due some respect she softly stated, "I'm so angry that I can't talk to either of you right now. I don't want to say something that I'll end up regretting, so please, just give me some time."

They walked out into the driveway, Jack opened the passenger side door and she slipped inside. By the time he walked around the rental car and took his seat behind the wheel, her face was flushed, yet her tear stained cheeks were vividly apparent.

As they pulled out of the driveway onto 65th Street, Mrs. Thatcher turned to her husband, "I thought you destroyed all of the letters he sent. You've just been holding on to them, why?"

"I only burned the one you walked in on, and then I thought maybe you were right and I shouldn't destroy them."

"William, why didn't you give them to her?"

"Because every time I talked to her she didn't want to discuss Jack, and she told me that she was dating. You told me that she seemed happy and had moved on," Mr. Thatcher stated as he walked over to the window and looked out at the empty driveway.

"Well, you've really done it this time. When are you going to let us live our own lives?" Julie asked, but before either of her parents could answer, she grabbed her bag and ran upstairs.

"What are we going to do?" Grace sat down, looked up and directed her question toward William.

"She'll be fine. You can go see her in a week or so…"

"Oh no, you aren't leaving this for me to take care of. You're scared…"

"I am not."

"William, you can handle business negotiations every day of the week, but you've disappointed your daughter, and you're worried that she won't forgive you."

William turned back toward Grace, "I really ruined this, didn't I?"

"She's angry, and she has every right to be." She stopped for a moment, and then took a deep breath before continuing, "Did you see the way they looked at each other? There is so much love in their eyes; it's so easy to see."

"All I saw was anger."

"The anger was for us; she reserved the love for Jack."

"So what are we going to do?" William rarely asked for Grace's opinion, but in this case, he was at a loss.

"We are going to give her some time, and then we'll go see her…together."

Jack pulled the rental car out onto Atlantic Avenue, turning right toward Rudee Inlet instead of left in the direction of the interstate.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Some place that I know you love," Jack reached over as he took her hand. He battled the off season traffic, pulling into a parking lot facing the water as they observed several dolphin watching boats cruise back into port.

"If you don't want to talk, we don't have to," Jack stated as he continued to hold her hand, his voice soft and reassuring.

"Jack, how can they profess to love me; they knew I was depressed when we broke up. They chose to keep us apart."

He pulled her hand up to his lips, "I'm not defending them but maybe, just maybe their hearts were in the right place, they just went about things the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in their minds they were protecting you from the hurt I'd caused. Maybe they thought my letters wouldn't do anything but upset you more."

"My father is controlling; he possesses and that's not love."

"Elizabeth, if you had just read my first letter we may not be here confronting your parents right now," he stated, quickly realizing that just like toothpaste squeezed from the tube, once the words left his mouth, he could not take them back.

"So it's my fault? I'm the reason we were apart for years?"

He opened his mouth wishing that he could suck the words back inside, but before he could answer she opened the door and stepped outside. By the time he reached her, she was standing by the water, the brisk breeze stinging their cheeks and causing her to shiver.

Jack put his arm around her but she pulled away, "Don't Jack; you have a right to your opinion. I'm sorry that I didn't read your letter, but at that moment I had such anger for you, and I never wanted to see you again."

She walked away from him, stepped up on the boardwalk and continued to stare out at the water.

"Elizabeth, I didn't mean what I said."

"Yes you did, and" she shrugged her shoulders, "You're right. If I had read the letter, maybe I would have contacted you."

"Maybe…?"

She turned to face him, "Jack, you broke my heart. As I sat in my room I became angrier and angrier with you. Before I knew it, the letter was in tiny pieces littering my floor."

Elizabeth continued, "I loved you so much, and I knew you were hurting, but you wouldn't let me help; you simply pushed me aside like I didn't matter. You didn't even have the courage to tell me to my face; I had to find out in a phone call…one that I initiated."

"Eliz-a-beth…" his voice was shaking as he quickly comprehended that her residual anger was now being released.

Elizabeth turned away from the water to face him, "Jack, maybe there's too much water under the bridge for us; maybe the anger runs too deep."

Suddenly feeling the emptiness that consumed her all those many years ago she tried to turn away. His hands on her arms kept her facing him, "No, I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either. I made mistakes, Elizabeth, I admit that, but I was young, and confused."

Elizabeth gently shook her head up and down, acknowledging his comment. "I was young and confused too, but add in hurt, heartbroken and angry, and the feelings just festered."

She glanced at her watch, "I guess we should get back to the airport."

As she turned to walk back to the car, Jack took hold of her hand. He felt as though he was holding a bundle of sticks, quickly realizing that her hand did not welcome his; her fingers felt stiff and did not close around his.

"I'm sorry…" he stated as he opened her door and bent down after she slipped inside the car. "Please don't be angry with me. I made a big mistake a lot of years ago, but I've always loved you."

Staring forward she stated, "I guess there is enough blame to go around to everyone."

The trip back to Chicago was relatively quiet. Elizabeth didn't even grip his hand during the take-off leaving him to realize that although things had gone well with regard to them getting back together in Cancun, there were still deep seeded issues that needed to be resolved.

It was late when they arrived back at Elizabeth's apartment, "The spare room is ready for you," she stated as Jack remained quiet, understanding that she didn't want to talk now.

He started down the hall but stopped and turned around, "I love you; please just remember that."

"I know," was all she could manage to say.

Elizabeth walked into her room and hearing the guest room door close, she pulled a pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt from her drawer before taking a seat on her bed. After changing, she pulled her knees to her chest and locked her hands around her legs, resting her head in her arms.

She thought she was over the hurt and the anger, but the new feelings toward her parents, brought up the residual ones for Jack. She loved him, but prayed that she could put the negativity behind her, as moving forward would be impossible without that step.

She pulled her journal from her bedside table, held it in her hand as she glanced out her doorway toward her guest bedroom.

Down the hall, sitting on the side of the bed, Jack held his head in his hands. He, himself had gone through a myriad of emotions in the past week from shock, to devastation, to surprise, to acceptance, to appreciation, to worry, to fear and finally resting on thankfulness. Now a comment made unintentionally brought every emotion to the forefront and he was concerned that what he'd found again was about to blow up in his face.

He lay back in bed, his hands cradling his head as it rested on the pillow. His eyes remained open, emotionally and physically exhausted, but refusing to give into sleep.

Down the hall, Elizabeth opened her journal, flipped through the growing number of entries, realizing that even when she wrote about moving on, she really wasn't. She could feel the anger even when she posted entries about receiving her Master's Degree, dating again, and the acceptance of her first book by a publisher with the undertone of Jack's absence being ever so present.

She flipped to the next blank page, clicked her pen and attempted to release the pent up feelings she now realized that she was harboring…

" _ **When you have your heart broken, it's much like taking a shiny sheet of foil and crumpling it in your hands. What you are left with can be smoothed over, and ironed out, but will it ever be the same again? There will always be wrinkles and creases, and pieces of yourself that have been torn or broken away, leaving empty spaces that hide the anger and bitterness. Are you ever able to truly put the past in the past, never to be dwelt upon again?**_

 _ **As infants, we depend on others for everything, even our most basic of needs. Those who care for us "Ooo," and "Ahh" as we learn basic skills such as smiling, rolling over and sitting up. Our parents become our entire world, and in many ways we become theirs as well. We depend on them for the nourishment of our mind, body and soul, but push toward independence as we enter various stages of life.**_

 _ **In our attempt to become self sufficient, we are not immune to mistakes, poor judgment, and bad decisions. However, they are the choices we make, subsequently learn valuable lessons from, and hopefully lead us to our happily ever after. Our parents profess to love us, which I don't doubt. But when did love become more about possession than appreciation? Like a flower, once picked, it begins to die. The beauty of the flower is in the fragrance, its bold strength, often standing amidst that which is undesired. We must learn to enjoy its beauty from afar, allowing it to continually grow as it was intended… enjoying it through appreciation, not possession. The same is true with the love we feel for others. We cannot and should not attempt to possess those we love; for when we do, a small piece of them dies, and a sense of security is lost."**_

She closed her journal before reaching down and grabbing her bag from the floor. Opening the main compartment to slip her journal inside for safe keeping, she observed the padded envelope, pulled it out and laid it on her bed. She opened the package and dumped its contents onto her comforter. Letter after letter addressed to her from Jack fell out and scattered across her bed. She arranged them based on postmark, opening the oldest envelope first. Knowing Jack as she did, it didn't surprise her that the letters were short and to the point…

 _ **"Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **I know you didn't expect to hear from me, especially after our last conversation, but I need to tell you how sorry I am. I don't know what happened to me; I think I lost myself for awhile. I came here for the right reasons…no I didn't. I came here because I felt like I needed to in order to feel close to Lucas. But in doing so, I've lost you, the most important person in my life.**_

 _ **Elizabeth, you were everything to me, and I did the one thing I promised you I'd never do; I hurt you. I'm sorry that I pushed you away, and I know that I have no right to ask you this, but will you wait for me until I get home from Boot Camp and we can talk? Please give me a chance to explain…**_

 _ **I truly love you and I pray that you can find it in your heart to give us another chance,**_

 _ **Jack"**_

She opened the next letter…

" _ **Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **I don't know what I can say. You didn't contact me after my last letter, so maybe my attempts are futile, but I needed to say how sorry I am. I pray that you are happy, but if you can find it in your heart to give me another chance, I promise I won't let you down.**_

 _ **I love you, and I miss you more than words can say.**_

 _ **Love always,**_

 _ **Jack"**_

She moved on to the next envelope, opening the flap and dropping its contents on the bed.

" _ **Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **I miss you so much; I wish I could hear your voice. I just need to talk to you. I need to explain, to apologize; Elizabeth, I need to beg for your forgiveness. All I think about is you, what you're doing, if you're safe, if you're happy…if you have any shred of love left in your heart for me.**_

 _ **I don't do life without you very well, sadly it seems meaningless.**_

 _ **Please give me a chance to make everything right again…I love you.**_

 _ **Eternally Yours,**_

 _ **Jack"**_

As she opened and read each letter, her eyes watered more, making it nearly impossible to make out the words. The anger she felt began to dissipate as the love that he had for her covered each page. It appeared that the letters were written and/or sent twice a week except for the last letter. The interval for the final two letters was one week; little did she know that her father had burned the one in between.

Moving on to the final letter she broke down…

" _ **Dear Elizabeth,**_

 _ **It's been so long since I've seen you. In the past four years, I think I can count on one hand the number of times that we went for more than a day without seeing each other. I hope you're well.**_

 _ **I passed Boot Camp, and I'm heading to Afghanistan in a month, so I don't know when I'll get another chance to see you. I know that you've moved on, and I do understand, but would you meet me for dinner before I leave? I have a few things I need to say to you.**_

 _ **Please Elizabeth; you owe me nothing, and you may not need this, but I do,**_

 _ **Jack"**_

Moving on…she was far from doing just that years ago, and with the anger she was unaware that she carried around, it was likely that she had to make her own amends in order to do it now.

Elizabeth lay back in bed, closed her eyes and did her best to will herself to sleep. Unfortunately, her visions of Jack's devastated expression during their recent argument wrecked havoc on her slumber. She slipped out of bed and found herself walking through the den, standing in the cold air on her balcony, barefooted and in her pajamas, listening intently as the water from Lake Michigan rushed ashore.

She was freezing but somehow she couldn't move. Seriously, she didn't want to; the cold air at least had her feeling something.

Jack climbed out of bed, still exhausted, but tired of lying there wide awake, worrying about her, worrying about them. They needed to talk, set things straight before he left to return to San Francisco.

He stepped out into the hallway and finding her bedroom door open he looked inside, but found the room empty. Feeling an uncharacteristically cool breeze, he glanced into the den and found her on the deck staring out onto the lake. Grabbing a blanket from the back of the sofa he stepped outside and wrapped her in the flannel's warmth.

Elizabeth turned around; her eyes looked weak and tears stained her cheeks. "Jack, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…" she buried her head in his chest as his arms enveloped her.

He bent down, slipped his arm behind her knees and picked her up, carrying her inside, closing the balcony door behind them. He sat her down on the sofa, lifted her legs and slipped under them, resting her calves across his thighs. Realizing that she was barefooted, he began massaging her feet, warming them as the feeling slowly returned.

She closed her eyes as her head rested on the decorative pillow, enjoying the feel of his hands on her feet and legs. With her eyes still closed, her voice was soft as she again apologized, "I'm sorry Jack."

Elizabeth swung her feet to the floor and sat up beside Jack. "You are an amazing man, Jack. I knew it in college and I know it now."

His arms around her body pulled her close. "Elizabeth, I'm so sorry about what I said; it wasn't what I meant; I don't blame you for anything."

"But you know Jack, who's to say that if we had stayed together then, that we'd be together now?"

The look of surprise on his face had her feeling the need to clarify, "Think about it…we were young, and I'm not even sure we knew exactly what we wanted in life."

"I wanted you…"

"And I wanted you," she responded. "But just think about all the time that has gone by, the decisions we've made; the places we've gone, and the experiences we've had. What are the chances that in this world of millions of people, you would be the person hired to protect me? I believe that it was Divine intervention that brought us back together."

Elizabeth took a deep breath before continuing, "I read your letters, each and every one."

"I guess they were more like little notes; but you know I wasn't much for writing," he reminded her.

"Jack, they were beautiful. Short or long it made no difference; your feelings were carried through each word." She observed nothing but sincerity in his exhausted eyes. "I love you…I loved you then; I love you now, and Jack Thornton, I will love you forever."

To be continued…


	8. Ch 8-Assumptions-The Devil's Handiwork

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 8- Assumptions- the Devil's Handiwork**_

 _ **O'Hare International Airport…**_

With passengers rushing passed, his lips met hers one last time; they were warm and soft and provided her with a memory that was going to have to last her until they saw each other again. With no plans to fly out to San Francisco, or for him to return to Chicago, they were each at a loss as to how this was going to work.

She stood alone watching him walk away as he entered the TSA line and at least temporarily out of her life.

She stepped back, wiped her eyes and wondered how on earth she was going to stand being away from him. As he disappeared into the crowd, she turned away and headed for the airport entrance.

As she stood at the Blue Line train station waiting on her ride back into downtown Chicago, her phone rang. Initially started, a smile that was missing from her face returned when she observed Jack's picture on the screen of her phone.

"Hi Jack; I already miss you," she called out, unconcerned that people standing nearby could hear her. Glancing at her watch, she asked, "Have you boarded yet?"

"I just sat down, but I wanted to call you and tell you something…"

"What…?"

"I love you."

She smiled, "I love you too, Jack."

"Excuse me sir; you need to put your phone on airplane mode," the flight attendant advised him.

"I'm sorry honey, we're getting ready to leave so I have to say goodbye."

"Call me when you get home, okay?"

"It'll be late; I'll text you."

"No, call me. I don't care what time it is. I want to hear your voice."

"Okay, I will…" he whispered before the call ended.

During her hour long ride on the blue line into the city and then her walk through the lengthy tunnel to transfer to the red line, she had time to think about how her life was with Jack all those many years ago. Then the years they were separated brought tears to her eyes before the smile again returned when thinking of her most recent time with him.

Elizabeth exited the train at the Wilson stop and headed toward home. She had made the same five block walk so many times in the years she'd lived there that by the time she reached home, anything worrisome that was on her mind was usually gone. Not this time.

Jack was on her mind when she exited the train, and thoughts of him were still firmly planted in her head as she turned the corner, two blocks from home, and stepped into the XO Marshmallow shop. Thinking that everything is better with chocolate, she walked out with a donut s'mores in a small box and a cup of coffee before continuing on her way.

She crossed the main highway and continued down two more blocks to her apartment complex. As she inserted her key into the lock of the first door, it moved and she realized that it was propped open, as was the second door as well. _**So much for security…**_

As she closed both doors someone out in the courtyard commented to their companion, "Well, we can't leave now. We'll have to wait until they get here so they can get inside."

The other person walking toward the building parallel to Elizabeth's replied, "As soon as she goes inside just prop them back open."

"Hey, I know it's easier than having to stay down here to let someone in, but it's not really a secured building if you guys leave the doors open. I mean, anyone can come inside; aren't you worried about that?"

"Not really," one of the girls responded. Realizing that talking to them would resolve nothing, Elizabeth slipped into her building as both girls returned to the security doors and propping them open before heading back inside.

Elizabeth walked inside and directly to her sofa where she dropped face first onto the fluffy piece of furniture. She'd been alone before; actually since graduating from college she'd spent more time alone than as part of a couple, so the emptiness wasn't a new feeling.

However, it was a different sense of emptiness; actually it was more of a longing, a desire, or a need to be back in Jack's presence, to know that he was nearby, within hugging distance.

Hearing her phone's muffled ringing, she pulled it from her bag. Seeing Jack's face on her screen immediately lifted her spirits, "Hey Babe…"

"We went back to the gate for some reason. We just pulled away again, and I wanted to hear your voice. Do you think you can move next weekend? I'll come and help."

 _ **Gulp…**_ "WOW, as much as I'd love to, I don't think I can get out of here that soon. But I do need to come out and find an apartment."

"Find an apartment? You can live with me… I have plenty of room."

"Jack, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"We were going to do it when you moved to Chicago for grad school."

"I know, but that was a long time ago and a lot of things have changed…but some things haven't."

"What are you talking about? Everything's changed."

"Not everything…but Jack, we don't need to discuss this on the phone."

Pushing for an answer, he continued, "I don't understand. What hasn't changed?"

"We'll talk when you get home, okay?"

"Well, now I'm worried…"

"Look Jack, we haven't discussed this, but do you remember in college when I told you that I wanted to wait until marriage to be with you. Uh, I mean, to be with a man…?"

"I remember; I guess I just assumed…"

The flight attendant tapped Jack on the shoulder stopping him in mid-sentence and mouthed "End your call."

"Elizabeth I have to go…"

"Wait Jack; you assumed what; that I threw my morals away when you left?"

"Uh…um, no that's not what I meant," he responded as the jet's engines revved and the plane began to pull away from the gate.

'Sir, please…airplane mode," the flight attendant again requested.

Suddenly there was silence.

"Look Jack, I've always loved you, and I believe you love me too, but my stand on sex before marriage is still the same. So living together I think would not be a good idea."

"E-liz…abeth," he continued to talk, but as the plane moved, the reception quality was poor with only a syllable or two here and there being audible to her.

"Jack, what did you say? You're breaking up…"

Static and blurbs was all she heard.

"Jack, does this revelation have any impact on us?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

Lucky for Jack he could hear every word she said. Sadly, she heard very little of what was happening on his end.

"E…liz…abeth…of cour…it …diff. I'm sorry if I…other…I…too…late, tak…can you…me?" is what she heard. "WOW, I hope he wasn't saying what it sounded like.

What he actually said was, "Elizabeth, of course it makes no difference. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise. I'll talk to you later, okay? Elizabeth…we're taking off; can you hear me?" and the call ended.

Elizabeth sat back for what she knew would be a long three and a half hours without contact with Jack. She wanted to assume that Jack would wait to be intimate with her; after all he was willing to wait when they were in college. But then again, that was six years ago and there can be a world of difference that occurs in much less time than that.

As they taxied to the runway, for what Jack knew would be an excruciatingly long flight, too long for their conversation to be left up for interpretation, he quickly texted the following message…

"Taking off…luv u; miss u already. luv ur morals. Will do whatever u feel comfy with. Call when I land…" Three heart emojis accompanied his text.

She leaned against the back of the sofa; a relaxing breath escaped her lungs, as a smile returned to her face. Realizing that he would not get her response until he landed, she sent one anyway… "Luv u; miss u like cra-z, we'll work this out…"

Elizabeth leaned forward and looked around. On the shelves, walls and in the closets her life was contained within the confines of this apartment; the home she and Jack were supposed to rent together all those many years ago.

Pulling out her lease, she realized that she wasn't scheduled to re-sign or move for six months, and right now that seemed like a lifetime. _**How can we do long distance after just finding each other again?**_

Her head felt much like a tornado was swirling within; the thoughts of what she needed to do, decisions she had to make, and the sadness of not knowing when she'd see him again caused her head to pound.

She pulled out her journal, flipped through an assortment of entries before stopping on the next blank page. Clicking her pen open, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and did her best to gain control of the myriad of thoughts, and emotions that made her head feel as though it was preparing to explode.

" _ **As a child, time passes so slowly that even a few moments seem much like a lifetime. We wait for this to happen of for that to take place and it feels like our lives drag, never getting closer to the proverbial carrot that is just beyond our reach. I'm no longer a child, and I can feel what I need in my heart, but what I want and how quickly I need to get there seems so close, yet so far away.**_

 _ **We all have responsibilities; responsibilities to our families, to our jobs, to our friends, and lest we not forget, responsibilities to ourselves. We are often so concerned about taking care of others that we forget what we need, that which will make us happy, content and complete. Then we wake up; our hearts come alive, and we are happy, truly happy for the first time in as long as we can remember. But sadly, in what seems like a heartbeat, we feel at a loss, time again stands still and much like a child we question whether or not things will ever be right in our world again."**_

Realizing that the sooner she packed up, the sooner she could move out, she walked down to the storage room, grabbed as many boxes as she was able to handle and carried them up the flight of stairs to her apartment.

She started in her office, boxing up everything except her computer. The boxes were taped, labeled and stacked in the middle of the room. Feeling productive, she soon realized that this room had the least amount of belongings to pack. Stepping out into the hallway, she realized that boxing up the rest of the apartment would be a daunting task.

Elizabeth rushed down to the storage room and grabbed more boxes, realizing that it was necessary to take them before anyone else did.

Glancing at her watch, she realized that Jack still had at least another hour before he landed, so she grabbed her jacket and walked across the street to the park along Lake Michigan. She sat down on a bench, listened to the waves rush onshore and felt the biting sting of the wind on her face as she contemplated her next move.

Realizing that she'd left her phone on the kitchen table, and not wanting to miss Jack's call, she rushed home, wanting nothing more than to hear his voice again.

As she opened her apartment door, she heard the phone ringing. She rushed to the table and snatched it up from on top of the placemat and held it in her hand. Instead of pushing the green button to talk, she smiled as the answering machine picked up the call, knowing that whenever she wanted to hear his voice, she'd have it on her phone.

Thirty seconds later she heard the 'ding' on her phone signifying a voicemail. Immediately pulling it up, her knees buckled slightly as she listened to his message…

" _ **Oh sweetheart, I wish you were there. I need to talk to you; to tell you how much you mean to me, and how I can't wait for us to be together again. Please call me back. I love you."**_

Elizabeth pushed 'call' and held her breath until he answered.

"Before you say anything, I love you and did you get my text…?" he asked.

"I did; did you get mine?" she replied.

"Yes, but I wanted to make certain that there was no confusion. We're too far away for there to be any confusion between us. I'm sorry that I assumed…I shouldn't have and I certainly wasn't expecting anything from you…"

"Jack, stop… I'm sorry that we didn't have this talk when you were here, but to be honest, with everything that's happened, you and me, Aiden, my parents, and you having to fly home, it just slipped my mind."

"So, when can you move? I already miss you."

"That's sweet, Jack. I miss you too, and I did box up my office. But my lease isn't up for six months."

"SIX MONTHS…?"

"Jack, please don't yell."

"I'm sorry; I wasn't expecting it to be that far away. We need to break your lease."

"I'll contact management and see what I can do, but until I can move, maybe I could fly out to San Francisco next month and we can Skype and face chat in the meantime."

"Well, we'll make it work… Can you fly out this weekend?"

"WOW, are you anxious?"

"How could you tell?"

They began talking on the phone when Jack left the airport, and the call ended hours later with each one professing their love for the other.

Days turned into a week with Elizabeth no closer to moving out west. It was difficult to pack up without knowing when she was moving, as she worried about needing items that were no longer at her fingertips.

"Any news from management?" he asked during his nightly call.

"Well, my lease runs out in a little less than six months, but if I find someone to sub-lease, then I can leave."

"Can't we just pay off your lease and move you out here?"

"I guess we could, but Jack, I have years of stuff here; it's not like packing a suitcase, closing the door and walking away."

"I understand, but honey, I'm going crazy here without you."

"You know, you could come back out here and help me pack."

"Don't you think I don't want to, but Robert and I have a new case, so I'm going to have to stay put for a little while. It doesn't mean that I can't keep encouraging you to pack faster."

"I love you Jack, and I want out of here as fast as you want me out. I'm so tired of people leaving the doors propped open and calling this a secure complex. They don't realize how dangerous it is; a guy in the building across from me was robbed last night."

"Elizabeth…"

"Before you say anything, they caught the guy."

"Jack, as much as I'd love to talk with you all night, I have a meeting with my publisher tomorrow to talk about a third book," she advised him.

"That's wonderful news. Well, I'll let you get some sleep, and I'll talk to you tomorrow…"

"Jack…"

"Uh-huh…"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The following morning, she packed several boxes, cleaning out drawers and cabinets in her kitchen. A 1:00 appointment with her publisher had her rushing around her apartment gathering her coat, gloves, train pass, and phone before heading out the door.

Stunned, she stood motionless as the people in the hallway approached her.

"Mom…dad, what are you doing here?" she asked, initially too shocked to remember the anger for them she carried.

Seeing other residents milling around the hallway, her parents followed as she stepped back inside to keep from airing their family laundry in public.

"Are you moving?" her father asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"May I ask where?"

Knowing that she didn't plan at this point to live with Jack, she enjoyed shocking them by saying, "I'm moving to San Francisco to live with Jack."

Her parents made no comment. Even though they were not invited, they took seats.

"We came to see you, but I see you're heading out. Could you stay and talk? After all we came all this way to see you." Her father asked.

"Well, maybe you should have called first."

"Would you have answered if we had?" he asked.

"Probably not…"

"Elizabeth," her mother interjected, "Could you please give us some of your time? We need to resolve this."

Elizabeth was conflicted; she loved her parents, but the anger for what they'd done all those years ago had such a hold on her.

Her parents remained seated on the sofa while she stood behind the chair opposite them, keeping some distance, and doing her best to remain respectful.

Her eyes met her mother's, "Mom, I understand why you did it, but both of you need to let us grow up, make our own mistakes and have the opportunity to learn from them. You make all of our decisions based on what you think is best and we're left to pick up the pieces."

Elizabeth started walking around the room, detouring around boxes, some full and others empty. "Do you have any idea how hurt I was when Jack left?"

"We were there; we do know, but we also assumed that he would simply hurt you more and we didn't want to see that happen," her father explained.

"Daddy, in business haven't you always said that assumptions are rarely facts?"

"Yes I have. Elizabeth, I have no excuse. I was wrong and I am so sorry that what I did hurt you." His eyes watered, "All I can ask for is your forgiveness…" he reached over and took Grace's hand as he braced for Elizabeth's reaction.

She walked back to the chair, took a seat and rested her face in her hands while contemplating her next comment. She took a deep breath before responding, "Just as I would expect you to love me unconditionally, I must be willing to offer you the same. I'm still angry, so please don't misunderstand this as being that all is forgotten."

Elizabeth observed their tears, and even though it was their choices which got them to this point, she couldn't help but to feel a bit heartbroken for them. She stood up and approached them as her own tears slipped down her cheeks, "I love you both; I'm still upset and it will take a while to get over this hurt. Because I have to let this anger go, and only for that reason, I do forgive you, but I think you need to make your apologies to Jack as well."

"We will; maybe after you get to the west coast your mother and I can make a trip out and we can all calmly talk." He placed his arm around his wife, "We don't like our relationship being so strained, and although I am the cause, we miss the way things used to be."

"Well, what you did affected Jack as deeply as me, so I'm not so certain that he will be able to calmly talk, but you need to try. He deserves the attempt."

He opened his arms hoping she would accept his embrace. Her tears began to flow more freely as she stepped closer and felt his arms envelope her.

"I love you, Elizabeth…" he whispered.

"I love you daddy; I just don't always like you…"

Elizabeth called her publisher and rescheduled her appointment for later in the week. As she put the phone down she turned to her mother, "How long are you in town?"

"Well, we thought that would depend on you. We weren't certain that you'd even see us," she replied. "Would you let us take you out for something to eat?"

"I'm sorry, but I already have plans," she didn't, and although she'd said that she forgave them, she wasn't certain that she wanted to spend time with them…not just yet.

She walked them to her door; as they stepped outside, her father stated, "If you need the corporate jet to move your things out to Jack's just let me know."

"Thank you; that's very thoughtful of you," she replied.

Her father stepped closer. He kissed her forehead and as he stepped back, her mother moved in and held her close.

"Always remember how much we love you," her mother whispered.

"I know, and I love both of you too."

Elizabeth watched as her parents walked toward the staircase. Once they were on the first floor, she stepped back inside, closing the door behind her. She took a seat on the sofa and as the rush of emotions flooded her, she cried.

Feeling somewhat relieved as her tears seemed to wash away some of the hurt, she glanced around and an idea flashed in her mind. Realizing that there was still a lot to pack up, she thought that maybe she could move out to San Francisco sooner than six months…

Although it was years of accumulation, she was thankful that she was not considered to be a hoarder. She stepped into her closet and pulled box after box from her shelf. Most contained things like shoes, completed taxes, and organized junk. That was until she pulled the pink box from the far corner of her closet, left hidden and untouched for years.

She stood in her walk-in closet holding the box, feeling the energy contained within as she lifted the heart decorated lid slightly, and glanced inside. She smiled at finding her "Jack Box" or as she often teased when she'd slip something inside that it was her "Jack in a Box," which contained mementos from their college days. It almost felt as if a long lost loved one had returned.

Elizabeth hadn't opened the box since she moved in many years ago. Placed on the closet shelf, hidden from view, she'd pushed the remembrance of its contents from her memory. Elizabeth held the shoe box to her chest, escaped the multitude of boxes scattering the floor and took a seat on her bed.

Memories previously suppressed were brought to the surface. She remembered everything, and could place where she was and when she received each item. Dance corsages, love letters and cards were scattered about the box covering a sealed envelope which contained the promise ring he'd given her in their junior year, and the tennis bracelet which was his last Christmas gift to her.

Elizabeth slipped the promise ring on her finger, finding some peace in the fact that it still fit. She reached into the box and pulled out the first card that touched her fingers. It was red in color with puffed hearts in the center in the shape of a larger heart with a couple in the center kissing and two roses at the bottom point. On the front it said, "My Love, My heart belongs to you," and at the bottom it said, "I Love You."

She opened the card; it was from Valentine's Day of their senior year. Her tears slipped unrestricted from her eyes as she read his words…

" _ **My dearest Elizabeth,**_

 _ **You know that saying how I feel has never been my strength, but I want you to know that you are everything to me. You are my sun, and my moon; you are the very breath that sustains me. I love you more than my words can express, and nothing will ever tear us apart.**_

 _ **Love always,**_

 _ **Jack"**_

Each letter and card was basically the same sentiment…he loved her with his whole heart and there would never come a situation or a loss of that emotion that would tear them apart. Sadly she knew how that turned out.

Another week passed; the only contact Elizabeth had with Jack was through phone calls.

"Good evening, sweetheart," he answered the phone on the second ring. "How was your day?"

"It's going slow, but steady. I was thinking about sending some boxes out to you. Do you have space to store them until I get a place?" she asked.

"Of course I do, but I've already told you, you can just stay here."

"Jack…"

"Elizabeth, I have two bedrooms. I know how you feel and I won't pressure you for anything; I just need to hold you, to feel you next to me."

"Well, it is something to think about," she responded, and as always, their conversation lasted hours with him usually ending the call around 1am central time.

If there was any thought that he didn't miss her, it was usually alleviated during their nightly phone call with him telling her how his arms felt lost without her to hold, and how his lips longed to touch hers.

Another week passed and Elizabeth was satisfied with what she had accomplished alone. In between boxing up her belongings, she'd met with her publisher and would soon begin work on her third book. She contacted Jack, advising that her belongings were being shipped out to his place and she would let him know when they were scheduled to arrive so he could make arrangements to meet with the movers.

 _ **Thursday night…**_

"Hey honey," Elizabeth's voice was soft, and tired, actually she was exhausted.

"Hey…"

"Jack the boxes are on their way to you. I shipped them yesterday and they should be to you tomorrow sometime between noon and 2pm."

On the other end of the line, he smiled, knowing that she was getting closer to actually making the move.

 _ **Friday morning…**_

Elizabeth had early morning plans, so at 5 am; she was out the door, locking it behind her as she rushed to the Uber driver who was waiting for her out front.

Across the country, **Knock, knock, knock…**

Jack glanced at his watch, "Hmm, 11am; they're early." Jack opened the door and was surprised to see his neighbor, Angelina Marquez, standing at his door in a white robe and a towel wrapped around her shampoo covered hair.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, confused by her appearance.

"No…well, yes," she responded. "Do you have water?"

"I think so, why?" he asked as he stepped back into his apartment and turned on the kitchen spigot. "Yea, I have water; you don't?"

"I did, but they shut it off in the middle of my shower because there is a broken pipe on my side of the building."

"How can I help?" he asked.

"Look, I wouldn't ordinarily ask you this, but I have a modeling audition in an hour and I certainly can't go looking like this. Would you mind if I finished my shower here?"

"Uh, well, I guess not. I have to be here anyway. I'm waiting on some movers to drop off boxes that my girlfriend shipped out."

Angelina stepped inside his apartment carrying her conditioner and a large body towel in her arms. "Her name is Elizabeth, right?"

With the same apartment layout as Angelina's, Jack showed her to his bathroom as if she was unfamiliar with its location. "Yes, its Elizabeth, how did you know?"

"Jack, since you got back in town, she is all you ever talk about. I'll bet she even has a cutesy name for you…you know, something like Lover-Boy," she giggled. "I've got to tell you, you're done dude…"

"No, no cutesy name, but what do you mean that I'm done?"

"Jack, you don't see it but your face lights up when you mention her name. When is she moving out here?"

"Not soon enough for me. I guess she's getting closer since she sent some of her boxes." Standing at the bathroom door he suddenly felt awkward being alone in his apartment with a woman in a robe. "I'm glad she's still in Chicago; I don't think she'd understand this."

Angelina laughed, "If I were in her shoes, I don't think I'd understand this, and I know I'm just here for a shower. I'll hurry up and get out of your way."

Jack stepped back as she slipped into the bathroom, "Let me know if you need anything."

Ten minutes later, he heard her calling from the bathroom, "Hey Jack, how do you get hot water?"

He knocked on the door, "Are you decent?"

"Yes," she replied.

Jack hesitantly stepped inside the bathroom and found Angelina standing by the toilet wearing her body towel as her robe hung on the hook by the shower.

"I'm sorry; there is a trick to this," he stated as he bent over and messed with the knobs. When he stood back up, he hit her robe, knocking it in the shower.

Now with his shirt soaking wet, he pulled her drenched robe from the floor of the shower, "I'm so sorry. I'll get you something else to wear," he stated as he stepped outside.

Standing in his bedroom, he pulled off his wet shirt and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants for her. Reaching in his closet, he pulled out a dry shirt for himself.

Hearing a knock, he had barely slipped his shirt on by the time he reached the door. Leaving it unbuttoned, he opened the door and was shocked to see Elizabeth standing on the other side.

His jaw dropped, but all she could see was his rippled muscles through the open shirt.

"Surprise…" she called out; her smile was broad and bright. She stepped forward feeling the need to have his arms around her. She placed her hands on both sides of his open shirt feeling the drops of water on his skin as she pulled him towards her.

"Uh, Elizabeth…" he swallowed hard.

"Uh huh," she stepped closer resting her head on his bare chest as her arms wrapped around his waist. "Are you surprised?"

"I am…I assumed that you weren't ready to move yet…"

"Lover-Boy…" Angelina giggled as she called out through the slightly open bathroom door. "I'm naked here; did you forget my clothes…?"

Elizabeth was stunned and felt as though she had been kicked in the gut as every bit of air rushed from her body. Seeing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt cradled in his arm she stepped back out into the hallway, "WOW…I came here to surprise you, but I guess the surprise is on me."

"Elizabeth, this is not what it looks like; please you have to let me explain…" his voice wavered as if he was unable to catch his breath.

"Oh, really Jack, or should I refer to you as Lover-Boy; no explanation is necessary. I'm fairly certain that I understand quite clearly, and I'm so sorry that I didn't give you any notice. I just assumed it wasn't necessary. I guess that's what I get for assuming."

"Elizabeth, it isn't necessary. I'm so glad you're here."

"Oh I can tell. It looks like you've been pining away for me."

"Elizabeth, you don't understand. She just came here for a shower; her water is out."

"Well Lover-Boy, don't you think you should take those clothes to your…oh, I don't even know what I should call her."

To be continued…

 _ **Note: I hope you enjoy my stories and if you are so inclined, reviews are much appreciated. It doesn't matter if it is positive or constructive criticism, all are welcomed as your input is the only way we know if you are truly enjoying our stories.**_


	9. Chapter 9- I'm Not Staying

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes._**

 _ **Chapter 9- I'm Not Staying**_

Jack stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

"Jack, closing the door doesn't make her disappear," she stated as she shook her head and turned around to leave.

Jack reached out and took her arm, effectively turning her back to face him. Her eyes were cold, piercing right through him as she pulled her arm from his grasp, "Don't touch me."

"Elizabeth, come inside and let me explain; it's not what you think."

"Don't you think that your apartment will be too crowded with both of your women there?" She attempted to take a breath but found that although the air was entering her mouth, somehow it seemed to stop at the lump in her throat. "Now I understand why you felt the need to rush back home. Any kids?"

"What?"

"Do you have any kids I don't know about?" she asked in a harsh, curt tone.

"E-liz-a-beth…"

"Don't Elizabeth me, Jack… I'm not the one with a naked woman in my apartment," she quickly realized that what she'd said wasn't exactly what she meant. "Well, you know what I mean."

"You have to let me explain. I'm telling you, it's not what you think."

"How do you know what I think?"

"Because I know you, and believe me, I know what this looks like. You have to trust me; this isn't what it looks like."

"Sure, there's another reason why you have a naked woman in your apartment who calls you lover boy. Hmm, do tell…"

Hearing the elevator door open, both Jack and Elizabeth looked down the hall. Stepping off the elevator was a young man dressed on coveralls. He glanced at a piece of paper and headed down the hall toward Elizabeth and Jack.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for…" he glanced back down at the paper, "Jack Thornton."

"That's me…"

"Hi, I'm Ian from Happy Haulers. I have some boxes for you; where would you like them?"

"I have a storage unit downstairs," Jack stated.

"I'm sorry sir, but I shipped the boxes and there has been a mistake, so they will be going back to Chicago."

"No they won't; they're staying," Jack quickly interjected.

"I'm not staying Jack, so my boxes will go with me."

Ian looked much like a spectator at a tennis match as his eyes moved from Jack to Elizabeth and then back to Jack as they argued about the final destination of her boxes.

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Handing Ian a $50 bill he stated, "Do me a favor and you and your guys go get some lunch. There's a great pizza place around the corner if you like. That will give us some time to sort this out."

Ian grabbed the money and was down the hall before Elizabeth had a chance to object.

"Elizabeth it's a funny story…you're gonna laugh; maybe not right now, but trust me, at some point you will."

"Jack, please don't insult my intelligence," Elizabeth snapped before turning on her heels…

"Please Elizabeth, don't leave; I'd let you explain…"

She stopped and turned around, "You'd let me explain? Do I need to remind you of the conversation we had recently on the phone? You know, the one where I told you that I was a virgin…" a slight movement in the hall caught her eye as she observed a couple exit their apartment only to turn and rush back inside.

She was on a roll, "Is that what this is all about; is it because I wouldn't sleep with you?"

"What…no; I mean there is nothing to this. We didn't sleep together."

"That's fairly obvious. It doesn't appear that there was much sleep going on."

She released a harsh breath, "How could you do this, Jack?"

"I didn't do anything, Elizabeth. If this happened to you…"

"That's the thing Jack. First of all I wouldn't have a naked man in my apartment, secondly I wouldn't have other men using terms of endearment when talking to me, and thirdly, I doubt very seriously that if I did had a naked man in my apartment, in my shower, calling out terms of endearment to me, that you would be willing to let me explain."

She stepped back, "You know, maybe I just rushed all of this. I think you're not ready to be in a committed relationship, and you know, that's okay. I just wish you would have let me in on it so I didn't embarrass myself."

Feeling humiliated and much like a fool she had only taken two steps when the first part of the Chainsmokers song "This Feeling" began playing in her head…

 _ **I'll tell you a story before it tells itself  
I'll lay out all my reasons, you'll say that I need help  
We all got expectations, and sometimes they go wrong  
But no one listens to me, so I put it in this song **_

_**They tell me think with my head not that thing in my chest  
They got their hands at my neck this time  
But you're the one that I want, and if that's really so wrong  
Then they don't know what this feeling is like.**_

Her heart was hurt; it literally felt as though it had been ripped from her chest without the benefit of anesthesia. In that short moment of time, she'd gone from over the moon excited to see him, to wishing that she could click her heels three times and return to the land of OZ.

Conflicted, her heart told her to run, but her head said otherwise. She knew Jack; honestly knew him, and she knew that she'd regret it if she didn't give him a chance to explain. Fighting between her emotional and intellectual sides, her head won out; her head knew that there was a logical explanation, even though her heart initially doubted the possibility.

Elizabeth was both hurt and angry, but somehow the emotions met in the middle. Her fierce anger was tempered somewhat by the hurt and embarrassment she felt. She wanted to run; she didn't want him to see her cry.

She didn't do either. She turned around, planted her feet, stood her ground and refused to let a single tear fall. Maybe she did so because she was a long way from home; maybe it was because she was there and had nothing to lose in listening to his explanation, but the most likely reason was that she loved him, and she wanted to believe that he would never intentionally hurt her, and certainly not in his manner.

Jack held out his hand, hoping that she would accept it and step back inside. She brushed passed him, walked into his den, folded her arms and gave a strong impression that she would be a hard nut to crack.

"Jack, are you there?" Angelina called out, but Jack was so focused on Elizabeth that he didn't respond.

"Jack," Elizabeth called out, "She needs clothes."

Jack shook his head as if he was trying to slip back into reality, "Oh, right…" He stood to the side of the door, covered his eyes with one hand and knocked on the door as he held out the clothes with the other.

Without having seen Elizabeth, Angelina grabbed the clothes he offered, changed and stepped out into the den, stunned when she observed Elizabeth standing on the opposite side of the room.

"Oh Jack, I'm sorry; I didn't know you had company," Angelina remarked as she headed for the door. "Let me get out of your way."

"Angelina, wait…" Jack called out. "This is Elizabeth."

"Oh WOW…hey, how long have you been here?"

"Long enough to hear you call out to Lover-Boy over here," Elizabeth tilted her head in Jack's direction. "I'm glad you got some clothes."

Looking at Angelina, Elizabeth was face to face with a 5'9" black haired beauty with piercing deep green eyes that she suspected were the product of colored contact lenses. She had a flawless complexion, perfect teeth, and lips that were just screaming "kiss me."

Not that Elizabeth was conceited, but she felt confident in her own body. Never one to feel insecure about her looks before, on this occasion, she felt out of her league. She wondered why Jack would want her when he apparently could have what every man she'd known before and since him wanted…the beauty standing less than six feet away.

Jack kept his mouth closed, feeling that if he spoke, he'd somehow dig himself in deeper. He watched as Angelina talked and Elizabeth appeared to listen. His heart pounded; his palms were sweating and he felt the need to lean against the back of the sofa in hopes of keeping his body upright.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry; this isn't what it looks like. Jack was just being a nice guy…"

"May I ask how that correlates to you being naked in his apartment, needing clothes and calling him Lover-Boy?"

"Well, you know it is really a funny story; you're going to laugh when you hear it…"

"I have to give it to both of you, if nothing else, you have your stories straight."

"Excuse me?"

"Jack told me the exact same thing out in the hallway, and I've got to tell you both, I'm not laughing yet."

With her hair up in a towel, Angelina started, "I'm sorry for this. I didn't mean to cause any problems; I just needed to finish my shower."

"Excuse me?"

"Look Elizabeth, I was taking a shower when the management cut my water because of a broken pipe on my side of the building. I'm a model…"

 _ **Of course you are…**_

"And I have an audition in an hour…make that thirty minutes. I had shampoo in my hair, and no water. Jack was the only person home. Believe me; I know what this looks like. I'd have gone to Sara and Missy next door if they had been home."

Angelina turned to Jack, "Hey, I'm so sorry for this, but I've got to go dry my hair so I can get out of here."

Jack was concerned about being alone with Elizabeth. The look on her face was colder than he'd ever witnessed; in fact he believed that her expression was more forgiving when she learned about Aiden's actions then now with what she obviously thought he'd done.

Elizabeth said nothing; Jack wasn't convinced that anything he said could remedy this situation. He would have done anything to not have Angelina in his apartment at all, but now, he didn't want her to leave. Somehow he felt like she would be able to get through to Elizabeth where his words may be lacking.

Angelina stood at the door, her hand was on the knob as she turned back to Elizabeth, "Whether you believe me or not, that guy right there loves you. Since you two got back together, you're all he ever talks about." She released a harsh breath that sounded much like a soft laugh, "You're a lucky woman."

Angelina stepped out into the hallway, closed the door behind her, and left Jack and Elizabeth alone to talk.

Jack took a seat on the sofa and Elizabeth sat down in the chair across from him. "What can I say?" he asked.

Elizabeth dropped her head into her open hands. She took a deep breath before raising her head and he watched silently as her eyes seemed to dart about the room, looking for something, anything that would tell her that what she'd been told was in fact the truth.

"Jack, I was hurt and surprised, but mostly hurt. I mean, what am I supposed to think? I'm not sleeping with you, so you must be getting it from somewhere…"

Jack stood up and started walking, "Get it from somewhere? Elizabeth, you sound like I'm looking for a loaf of bread that my market doesn't sell, so I'll just get it anywhere."

He walked over and stood in front of Elizabeth, taking a seat on the coffee table that sat between the sofa and chair. "You've made your stand very clear, and I respect it. I'm not looking for someone to sleep with; I'm not looking to be with anyone but you."

"But Jack, she's so beautiful…"

"I hadn't noticed…"

"Yea right, that's the only thing you've said that I don't believe."

Jack's finger under her chin lifted her eyes to his. He leaned in, tentative, trying to gauge her emotions, "You believe me?" He reached out and took hold of her hands; his thumb rubbed across her soft skin.

She pulled her hands away, "I want to; I just don't know what to believe. I mean, if it's all about sex, I know that's very important. I just can't give you…"

Jack interrupted her, "Elizabeth, you're important to me. I didn't sleep with her; I wouldn't sleep with her; I wouldn't sleep with anyone. You are the only woman I want, and I will wait for you; I will wait for as long as it takes."

Jack reached over and swept a tear, the first one she'd shed, from her cheek. As they sat in silence for a moment, their quiet was shattered by a knock on the door.

Jack stood up, "I guess the movers are back. So, are the boxes staying?" he asked as he opened the door.

"Hey Jack, is Angelina still here?" her fiancé, Jace asked as he stepped inside.

"No, she went back home to get ready for her audition."

Jace glanced over at Elizabeth, "Hi, I'm Jace, Angelina's fiancé. I've never seen you around here before. Oh wait, Jack does not entertain women in his apartment, so you must be Elizabeth," Jace turned back toward Jack, "She's beautiful, just like you said. Wait…you didn't say anything about her coming for a visit."

Elizabeth stood up and approached both men.

"Jace, this is Elizabeth and I didn't know she was coming. She surprised me."

"Welcome to San Francisco. We'll all have to get together for dinner while you're in town." Turning back toward Jack, Jace added, "If you see Angelina, let her know that the water is back on. Man you guys were lucky that it didn't affect your side of the building. They had to replace 20 feet of pipe."

Jace turned around and walked back out into the hallway, "I'm so sorry to have interrupted you."

Jack whispered, "You have no idea how much I appreciate you stopping by."

Jack stepped back into the apartment and closed the door behind him. "So…"

"So, what was I supposed to think?"

"I would hope that you would trust me."

"Jack, I do trust you; I'm still here, aren't I? I could have left."

"You wanted to leave."

"No, I didn't want to; I felt like I needed to, but don't ever think that I wanted to," her tone was apologetic. "Besides, are you seriously going to stand there and tell me that you would be alright if you came to my apartment and I had a naked man in my shower calling me "Sweet Cheeks" and asking me to get him some clothes?"

"Elizabeth, I'd like to think that I would have…" he released a harsh breath, "Oh who am I kidding…I would have reacted just like you did."

Jack reached out and took her hand, "So, before Ian and his crew get back here, can your boxes stay?"

"Well, that's just it; it's not just my boxes."

"What, you have other stuff? That's fine; I'll find space for it."

"What about for me; is there space for me?"

His heart pounded so loudly that he could hear each beat thumping in his ears. He smiled broadly providing her with a view of his deep dimples, "You're staying?"

"Well, that's the thing," she whispered as she stepped closer, her lips gently brushing across his cheek. "I don't have a place to stay. I guess you could say that I'm homeless."

"You're going to live here with me?" his smile broadened.

"Well, just temporarily until I find a place. That is if you're sure that you have the space and you don't mind a roommate. But if it's an imposition, I can stay at a hotel until I get a place of my own."

"I most certainly don't mind, and you'll see, you won't need to look for a place. We can make this work. But your place in Chicago; did you find someone to sublet it?"

"Actually, no but I thought about it and I'll need some place to stay when I go meet with my publisher, so for the time being, I'll just keep it."

His arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground. As she slid down his body and he returned her feet to the floor, his lips met hers. Her lips, noticeably pursed only moments ago, softened immediately upon his touch. His hand slipped behind her head urging her closer, deepening their connection.

Separating slightly, they were barely a breath apart when she whispered, "Now that's a welcome home kiss."

A knock on the door broke their romantic mood, "This is like Grand Central Station today," he stated with a frustrated breath.

Opening the door he found Ian and two additional movers standing in the hallway. "Mr. Thornton, first we'd like to thank you for lunch. You're right the pizza place around the corner was great. So, did you two decide about the boxes?"

Jack looked at Elizabeth and observing her smile, he turned back at Ian, "Come on, I'll take you down to the storage shed. You can stack them in there."

Once the door closed, Elizabeth found herself alone, by herself with only her thoughts to keep her company. She walked over to the door and grabbed her bag from the floor. She reached inside and pulled out her journal and a pen before returning to the sofa.

She opened her secret keeper, flipped through the growing number of entries, stopping at the last one…

" _ **As a child, time passes so slowly that even a few moments seem much like a lifetime. We wait for this to happen of for that to take place and it feels like our lives drag, never getting closer to the proverbial carrot that is just beyond our reach. I'm no longer a child, and I can feel what I need in my heart, but what I want and how quickly I need to get there seems so close, yet so far away.**_

 _ **We all have responsibilities; responsibilities to our families, to our jobs, to our friends, and lest we not forget, responsibilities to ourselves. We are often so concerned about taking care of others that we forget what we need, that which will make us happy, content and complete. Then we wake up; our hearts come alive, and we are happy, truly happy for the first time in as long as we can remember. But sadly, in what seems like a heartbeat, we feel at a loss, time again stands still and much like a child we question whether or not things will ever be right in our world again."**_

Flipping to the next blank page, she thought about her parents, Jack and herself, and the assumptions that each of them had recently made which impacted their decisions and situations in which they found themselves.

She clicked her pen open, and glanced at the basket of wet towels and a white robe that didn't look like something Jack would wear sitting in a pile outside the bathroom door. Realizing that assumptions can be the devil's handiwork she began to purge herself of the feelings and emotions that weighed heavily upon her…

" _ **We wilt or are built on our words…our lies and our truths. Our character, developed by our choices, courage, fight and determination is created slowly, tiny pieces coming together, the puzzle of our lives, making us into the people we were destined to become.**_

 _ **We all make assumptions; some simple ones like southern tea is always super sweet, to some that appear more thought provoking, presumptive and passionate like 'he feels the same as I do; parents always do what's best for their children, and what we see is always what happened.'**_

 _ **Assumptions are made without basis of fact, often leading to hurt feelings, misunderstandings, anger and disappointment. We judge others, not by their character, but by what we assume to be true without verification, consideration, or honest evaluation. Our head says one thing, while our heart speaks another causing our own confusion. We shut down, doing our best to protect ourselves from pain that we've previously experienced, doing our best to keep from venturing down that dead end road again.**_

 _ **We take a breath, bringing the emotions of the heart together with the intellect of the mind, realizing that when all is said and done, assumptions have no place in relationships. Communicate, don't assume; the truth is likely to come more quickly."**_

Just as Elizabeth closed her journal, the door opened and Jack proudly stepped back inside.

"So, you really are here to stay?" he asked as he sat down beside her on the sofa.

"Well, that was my plan, but I don't want to be an inconven…"

His lips passionately covered hers, effectively silencing her. Her lips were soft and warm and as his heart pounded, he knew that he'd missed them, missed her since they'd been apart.

As their lips separated, his forehead rested on hers as he whispered, "I love you, and I'm so sorry about what happened earlier. I would never jeopardize what we've found again for a simple roll in the sack. That's not me; I…"

It was now her turn to silence him as her lips brushed gently against his. She felt his arms slip around her waist, and pull her close, suddenly feeling more at home than she ever experienced in Chicago without him.

"Could you take me on a tour of the place?" she asked.

He pulled her even closer as her head rested on his chest, "From here I think you can see pretty much everything."

"Jack, are you sure you have enough room for a roommate?"

"I don't consider you just a roommate. Besides, I have a large master bedroom…"

"And…?"

"And what?"

"Jack, where do I sleep?"

She caught his stare; watching as his glance moved between her lips and eyes, only to return to her lips against, capturing them this time with his own.

"Mmm, as much as I do enjoy that, are you going to answer my question?"

Jack's lips met hers again; his hand cradling the back of her head encouraged her closer. "I have missed you so much."

"My question, Jack…"

He released a rushed breath, "What question?"

"You don't have a second bedroom, do you?"

"I do, but it…"

As he tried to explain that boxes from a recent case had been stored there, drastically cutting down on the room's free space, she found the room on her own.

"Jack, where am I going to…" she stopped when he stood up from the couch."Never mind, I'll take the sofa."

"No you won't sleep on the sofa; you can have my bed and I'll sleep out here."

"Jack, I'm not taking the bed away from you. I'll take the sofa."

"Well, I do have a suggestion."

"What might that be?"

"We put something down the middle of my bed; you on one side and me on the other. It's a nice, comfortable king size bed. There's plenty of room to be together, but not together if you know what I mean."

She blushed, "Yes Jack, I may be a virgin, but I certainly know what you mean. I just don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Honey, we'll work it out; I'm just happy you're here."

Later that evening, Jack fixed the bed; a barrier down the middle separated them as they each pulled back their respective covers and slipped underneath them.

His hand reached across the mound of bedding between them and she willingly slipped hers against his palm as their fingers intertwined.

He rested on his right side, and her on her left as they managed to look over the barrier into each other's eyes.

"Hey, I'm not opposed to getting a bigger place if you think we need it," he offered.

"I don't want you to do that, Jack. You seem happy here. So if we find it too difficult to live together, I'll get a place."

"That won't be necessary, because you're where you're supposed to be, right here with me."

Exhausted, she quickly fell asleep with him holding her hand, his thumb brushing across her skin. He lay there beside her, albeit a barrier between them and couldn't believe she was there, with him, in his bed. Although he didn't plan to tell her, being with her without being with her was quite literally agony.

Jack slipped into the bathroom and back into bed without waking her. He watched her sleep until his own body gave up and he also drifted off.

 _ **Several hours later…**_

"AAAHHH…"

Startled, Jack jumped up and looked around. Hearing more scrambling in the bathroom he rushed to the door. "Elizabeth, are you okay?"

"You aren't used to having women here with you, are you?"

"No, I thought we'd already addressed that issue. Why…are you okay?"

"Jack, when you have a woman living here with you, you have got to put the toilet seat down."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did you…" he started laughing and was unable to finish his sentence.

"Stop laughing, and yes, I fell in…" she also began to laugh. "Oh, and Lover-Boy, I need some clothes…"

To be continued…


End file.
